My Guardian Angel
by kishaz
Summary: Axel lowers his head in defeat, his wings drooping slightly to show their mirrored displeasure. To be a Guardian was noble, of course it was, but it also meant losing your wings. And when one lost their wings, they became nothing. AR, RR, ZD and others
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Yet another story upload! This one was inspired by a doodle I did for a drawing exersize, not that anyone's interested, but anyhow. Do not expect this to be going any further than a few chapters; I have a tendancy to drop stories quite often. ;-; but often I drop stories because I don't get many reviews, so if you really want to keep reading this, then _please_ write me one! I really don't mind if it's a three-word sentence; just to hear from you is really awesome! So... Yes! -/rant- Anyhow, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

What is an angel?

Many people have many different ideas as to what an angel is. Some people believe an angel is a loved one that made their way to heaven. Others believe they are warriors of God; fighting for the righteous and unrighteous alike. There are other beliefs; perhaps angels are saviours of the mortals; perhaps they are destroyers of demons. A lot of people believe that angels are simply there to watch over those who need protection; to guide them in the right direction as they go down the road of life. However, no one truly knows what an angel really is, and no one ever will.

Unless, of course, we happen upon meeting one.

"The Court of the Sky is called here today to try Angel Aestus Axel Morrington, who is accused of inappropriate behavior and negative influence on a mortal. How do you plead, Aestus?"

The setting is a whimsical sort of place; a pearly-white auditorium, holding a holy sort of aura within its white-blue walls. The room is as big as a stadium, filled with seats by the ten-thousands. Each seat is stacked, all the way to the roof, semi-circling the center of the floor. In the center of the intimidating room, there is a speaker's platform, and a tall throne with six other, slightly smaller thrones on either side of it. In the largest throne sits a heavenly being, one of such a holy aura that no scholar's poetic or metaphorical phrases could even begin to describe of it. In the twelve thrones, each sits other heavenly beings, one half male and the other half female, clad in pure white robes that shroud their faces. Each adorns a solemn expression. In the lowly speaker's platform stands another heavenly being, dressed in a long-sleeve button-up shirt and dress pants, both a simple white color. His hair is a striking scarlet that stands out against all of the white, spiked back much like a porcupine's or a hedgehog's. He has vibrant neon-green eyes, lined with red eyeliner. Two upside-down tear-shaped marks rest under his eyes, both a purple-black. The being also has wings; simple, white-feathered wings that stop at his lower back and fold in on themselves. The man frowns.

"Not guilty, My Father." He replies, taking in a deep, apologetic bow.

"Thou art lying." A female angel mutters, her voice as clear as a bell. She clasps her hands and frowns at the man at the testimony platform.

"I'm not lying!" the defendant snaps, slamming his hands down on the desk in front of him. His voice is thrown around the already silent room, making his protest seem even louder than it actually is. "The boy started it himself! I tried to stop him, but—"

"Fourteen eye-witnesses have testified that you were egging him on." A male angel interrupts, cocking his head to the side underneath the cloak he was wearing. "Do not forget that The Lord can tell if you lying."

"Crap…" Axel mutters under his breath with a frown.

"We heard that." Another female angel states firmly.

"Wouldst thou like to change thy plea before we move on?" The Lord asks in a cautious tone, pressing his fingertips together on his lap.

"I am _not guilty,_ Father." Axel Morrington repeats, clenching his fists with a frown.

"Then the Court hath heard enough. Aestus Axel Morrington, we do not wish to hear thy lies no longer," The Lord puts up a hand to stop the redheaded angel from continuing, "Thou art sentenced to being a guardian angel for one lifespan."

"W-wait!" Axel looks up, eyes wide, "I-I'm sorry my Lord! Please, I beg you for forgivene—"

"I had asked thou previously if thou wished to change thou plea, and thou declined." The Lord replies, frowning deeply. "Thy verdict is complete, and it shall not be changed. Court is adjourned." And with that, he swoops his arm over the auditorium of angels. They vanish elsewhere, to perform other duties or to simply relax, leaving the area quiet and hollow.

Axel lowers his head in defeat, his wings drooping slightly to show their mirrored displeasure. To be a Guardian _was_ noble, of course it was, but it also meant losing your wings. And when one lost their wings, they became nothing. Axel had already lost enough to begin with; he didn't need to lose his being as well. As he fights off a wave of tears, he hears the Lord speak.

"As an angel, Axel, your responsibility is to lead mortals to righteousness, not to peril." The Lord states softly, dropping from his place on the ground before walking up to the desk where the angel stood. He had long since dropped his formal speaking; it was not necessary without an audience.

"I wasn't doing anything, though!" the redhead repeats, clenching his eyes shut and not bothering to look up. Hot, painful tears begin to creep down his face, like little flies or ants with fire for feet. "You have to believe me, please!" His voice reaches an abnormally high pitch, cracking a little at the end.

"Do not support your lies anymore, Aestus, it is over." the Lord says, placing a stack of paper onto the desk below the redhead. "Sign on the dotted line."

The angel takes thumb and forefinger and drags them along his eyelids to be rid himself of any stray tears; crying in front of the Lord was as shameful as it could get if you were an angel. "I. did. _nothing,_" he repeats, yet again, but picks up the pen and signs the paper, not bothering to read the fine print. Who did these days, anyway?

"Your Dependent is named Roxas Hikari. He is to be born in two minutes, so I suggest you hurry." The Lord extends his arm to his side, where a bright, almost blindingly-white portal appears. Axel looks up, staring the Lord, no longer worried about him seeing the angel in such a state. "Perhaps it's not just the mortal's government that is corrupt." He states coldly, before stepping into the blinding light.

**Chapter one: Flying on a pair of broken wings**

"So, school was boring." A blonde teen reminisced to himself, adjusting his cobalt-blue backpack so it wouldn't be thudding against his body with every step. He let out a small sigh as he crossed the crosswalk, narrowly avoiding a car that zoomed past. He smiled a little and ran across the road, making sure to look both ways as he went. He was in Downtown Edmonton, trying to find Central station after a day of vain shopping. He had just come from a Chapters store, to find in his disdain that his gift card was expired. He stopped at another crosswalk and pressed the button, noting that the street was quieter than normal.

"Darn this is boring," Axel muttered to himself, crossing his arms as he stared up at the sky. "See what you're making me do?!" He snapped at the clouds, which gaily floated by as per usual. It was not like anyone was around to listen to him in the first place. All he ever did was stay vigilant 24/7, making sure that his Dependent was safe and sound, throwing in the spice of good luck every so often to make the Dependent's life a little easier. It was a job that required all of an angel's attention; anything could happen in the course of a day, an hour, a minute, a _second_. It was worse than being a conscience; at least the conscience could be regarded as there, whereas a Guardian was isolated from all of existence. The isolation was insanity-driving. _If only,_ Axel thought sourly, side-glancing the smaller blonde ahead of him. It seemed that Roxas was just as bored as he was, for he was staring up at the sky as dazedly as the redheaded angel was. The teen, just getting out of Grade eight, was a small-framed blonde with bed-headed hair that stuck up in all sorts of angles that could rival with Axel's. He had dark teal-blue eyes that glittered in the sun, and had recently acquired a soft tan from a rather nasty sunburn a couple weeks back. The teen was a normally quiet boy, speaking only when absolutely necessary. He was always very thoughtful, and it was rare if he ever lost his concentration.

Today, however, was one of those days where he did.

Hearing the skid-and-stop of car tires, Roxas started walking across the street. Suddenly, he heard a horn honk. Roxas turned around, to come face to face with a speeding transport truck, a little too close to be comfortable, or safe for that manner.

Time seemed to slow at that point. Axel, thinking quickly, pulled the smaller blonde into his arms, close to his chest. The truck zoomed past the two, a fraction of an inch away from Roxas' face as it did so. The blonde let out a small, shocked squeak and backed up into Axel's guard a little more, looking up at the angel in disbelief, not comprehending why he was even there.

But it had not finished there. Hearing the high-pitched squeal of tires against pavement, the angel's eyes widened and instincts took over as he dashed in the place where the transport truck had once been, narrowly missing a newly painted silver Ford Freestar, which collided into a fire truck-red Dodge Caravan. Axel was glad that Roxas was smart enough to keep running with the unknown force pulling him around. "Sometimes, kid, you're more trouble than you're worth." He muttered with a mild spice of humor as he ran ahead across the street. Roxas frowned in annoyance at the remark, but kept his mouth shut. Who was he to question the person that was saving his life?

He was making a steady beeline to the end of the wide road when the sound of groaning metal made him perk up to his right side. A collision had just occurred with a minivan and another transport truck, the scent of fire following it. The mess of metal and flames skidded three meters away from the two.

"Uh oh," Axel muttered under his breath. "Okay kid, you're gonna have to jump with me on three on this one, I'm not gonna be able to make the jump for both of us." He muttered, not realizing why, exactly, he was talking to someone who probably couldn't hear him anyway. "One… Two...Three!"

Roxas obeyed and took the jump, and, expecting to be down as soon as he came, he shut his eyes tightly. When he felt no impact against his feet, however, he peeped an eye open and let out a gasp; they were not even a meter above the accident, gliding shakily above it. Wait, _shakily?_ He flicked his head up in panic to stare at the angel holding him captive. His face was dotted with sweat, eyelids flinching in what looked like pain.

And before he knew it, they had touched ground, on a rare, grassy patch just beside a Second Cup. The angel released Roxas of the tight hold he was in and slumped down onto the ground immediately, shivering and panting heavily. He lowered his head; eyes pinched shut tightly in malaise.

Roxas stood in shock, knees trembling from leftover adrenaline. It was only then did he realize that his saviour had wings, which were slowly moulting a few feathers.

_What__… what _was_ it?_

He shook his head quickly; now was not the time to question things. He dropped to his knees and peered over the angel's weak form. Suddenly, he felt stupid. What was he supposed to do? There was a brief pause.

"…Are you okay?" he asked in a dumbfounded tone, cautiously cupping the side of the angel's face and tilting it up to get a better look at him. His sharp, lime eyes squinted open and he cracked a small smirk.

"Absolutely _dandy_; I've never felt better. You?" he asked sarcastically with a small chuckle, which led into a sharp cough. "Hey, Roxas."

Not bothering to ask how the other angel knew his name, nor to respond to the first question, he replied, "…What?"

"Breathing on earth these days… is it supposed to be this difficult?" He asked with what was supposed to be a mildly humorous smile. The blonde's eyes widened and he whipped out his phone before dialling 911.

"Yes, u-um, my name is Roxas Hikari, I'm on…. Jasper Avenue, where that car crash is…. Yeah, my friend's hurt, he isn't breathing right…. Right in front of the Second Cup. 100th street. N-no, I don't think so… I don't know him very well. O-okay, thank you, bye." He hung up the call and turned to Axel. "The ambulance is coming okay; just hang in there, umm…"

" I-it's Axel," the angel replied, his eyes flickering shut, "And I-I don't need an ambulance, I need a second--" the redhead croaked out before coughing sharply, staring at his wings which were dropping feathers like rain. It wouldn't be long before they were gone, before _he _was gone. He could feel his very willpower to 'live' flaking away with his feathers.

"Don't be stupid, you need to get to a hospital." The blonde muttered, and, realizing the redhead's eyes were fluttering shut, he began to panic. "N-no, hang in there Axel! Stay awake till the paramedics get here!" the naive little Roxas shook the angel's shoulders softly. Axel chortled weakly at his feeble attempts at supposedly saving a life.

"Doctors can't help me, I'm not human." The redhead muttered under his breath, not bothering to open his eyes. Then, he heard a cackle. Axel perked up with a frown; the sound certainly wasn't a mortal one. Struggling to follow the sound with his ears, he locked onto the top of the stoplight to his left. A silver-haired teenager was sitting atop them. He was bare-chested, a red and black heart emblem adorning his oddly-colored chest, which looked as if someone had wrapped it in thin, blue and purple tendrils; almost like muscles. His arms and neck were of the same appearance, making him look as if it were simply a deformed turtle neck. He was, however, wearing pants, dark blue ones that were covered up below his knees with a form of platform boots. Around his waist was what seemed to be a cream-colored half of a hula skirt, being held at the crotch and waist with crossed belts. He locked his cat-like, aqua-crystal eyes with the angel and gave another snigger. "Aww, look at the poor widdle angel, he's dying!" the teenager cooed, suppressing a laugh. "D'you know what makes your supposed 'sacrifice' even more hilarious?" When the angel didn't respond, he continued anyway, "It's all gonna be in vain anyhow!"

Deep in the angel's mind, something cooed along with the teenager. _Of course it will all be in vain; you've never been able to do anything right. _And with that voice, part of the angel couldn't help agreeing; he never_ was_ able to get anything right…

Noticing the angel's defeated façade, the teenager smirked. "They told me it wouldn't be this easy… I guess they were wrong. Breaking an angel isn't that hard at all. Now all that's left to 'break' is the kid…"

As the teenager let out yet another venomous laugh, the redhead realized that this was a devil; a half-breed, by the looks of it. With those looks, he had to be a wrath/lust hybrid…

Which meant that when Axel was gone, his Dependent was in deep trouble. He couldn't let that happen to Roxas; the boy was so innocent! He would know; he'd been with him for all of his life.

"N-no… you won't." Axel muttered in determination, shutting his eyes tightly and wrapping his arms around his chest and stomach in pain. "Not while I'm here."

"Fat chance, _Guardian_." The devil put extra emphasis on the title. "Just so ya know, _you know_, before you _die_, I'm gonna come back for your Dependent in a week. Just to make things all the more ironic for ya." And with a final, dark, chortle, the devil let the wind carry away his being, blowing away like dust as if he were never there in the first place.

This was caused by that little devil, he didn't doubt that; but that didn't matter anymore. Right now, all that mattered was getting another chance. As his eyesight blurred, everything began to sound watered-down; as if someone had thrown him in a pool. He heard sirens, tires skidding to a halt, feet clapping against the sidewalk, and then…

"_Axel, hang in there…"_

_Just one more chance__, Father… Please…_

_-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-_

Bleeping machines, small murmurs of people talking, silence. Every so often, he would catch a small phrase or two, but aside from that, his mind was in a total blur. Once or twice, he tried to open his eyes, but they were immediately flooded with a stunningly blinding light, and he decided that sleeping was probably better anyway. Wherever he was currently was warm, and soft. It felt as if sunlight were spilling over him, holding him close in a pleasant embrace. Giving a faint smile, he let out a pleased noise and indulged in one of the lesser sins, sloth. It was not as if he was doing it willingly, however; the position he was in left him in a much-weakened state. Not that he had much in 'life' to look forward to, anyway; _After all, who wants to be taking care of some blonde brat for the rest of their life? Wait, didn't he call the ambulance for you? That was pretty nice of him; he actually cared about you. What was his name again…? Rocky…? Rox…? Rexa…? Roxar…? Roxas. . . ?_

"_Roxas!_" Axel cried out vociferously, shooting up abruptly from the bed he was resting in. Sharply, he flicked his head about, taking in the setting in panic before, to his relief, realizing he was in a hospital. The walls were a warm apricot color, accenting the peach and cream-colored tiles below his bed. He shifted slightly, uncomfortably, realizing he was wearing a blue, cotton nightgown; the really annoying ones that don't do up where your butt is, so you're basically mooning every second person when you walked. He shifted his back uncomfortably; it felt as if there was something stuffed in it, which was a very odd experience, but it was not _unbearable,_ so he kept quiet about it. He looked down at his hands, which now sported a couple of I.V. tubes and what looked like a red-glowing clothespin on his finger. Assuming it was to monitor _something_ in his blood, he did not remove it; but then again, better logic stated that removing hospital equipment that has been attached to you, without informing the doctors, was a stupid idea. As he looked around, a nurse walked in and smiled playfully at his curiosity. "No, dear, this isn't heaven." She stated, heels clicking softly against the tiled floor while she walked. She was dressed in a simple pink uniform, with a coat and a stethoscope hooked around her neck. She was only about five-foot-five, with bouncy golden-brown hair that flipped up at her shoulders. She had hazel eyes and a warm complexion. To the nurse's statement, the redhead rolled his eyes.

"Well _obviously_ it isn't heaven; I've already been there and this place looks _nothing_ like it."

The nurse gave a nervous sort of laugh, walking over to the patient and giving a hesitant smile. "How are you feeling?"

"…How am I supposed to be feeling?" Axel asked, sincerely confused. "Okay, I guess…" the angel gave a lame sort of shrug and pursed his lips at the bedspread beneath him. Where was Roxas?

"And your breathing?" She asked, marking something down on the clipboard she had in her possession.

"It's …okay, I can breathe so… Yeah." Axel finished lamely, shrugging a little. He never knew hospitals were supposed to ask so many questions… It was rather impolite, really.

"Okay. The doctor will be here in a few minutes." She gave a small nod and started to bound out of the room, when he called, "Wait!"

She turned around with a faltering smile. "Yes…?"

"I… How long have I been out?" He asked hesitantly, leaning back on the pillows set behind him.

"Well, it says you've been unconscious for…" she looked down at her clipboard, "…Two days." She looked up at him, smiled warmly, and exited the hospital room.

"Two days…" the angel repeated in disbelief. How come he was still here? He should have been nothing by this point…

"But… I'm not nothing… which means…" Axel murmured under his breath with a glimmering smile before sitting up straighter and concluding in an enthusiastic tone, "I'm still alive!"

A patient on the other side of the room glared at him and told the angel to keep his mouth shut. As the redhead sheepishly slunk back down into the sheets, he made a mental note to remember not to self-narrate his life anymore.

"Op, good morning sir," the doctor greeted after entering the room and approaching the angel's bed, "how did you sleep?" The doctor was a male, with broad shoulders and golden-blonde hair which was cut short and spiked up naturally because of its length. He had a subtle moustache and stubble, a soft, beige tan accenting it nicely. A stethoscope was hooked on his neck, much like the nurse's was, and he was wearing a white-collared lab coat that went down to his knees. On his nose rested a pair of silver-lined, square-shaped glasses that glinted in the sunlight. He had a nametag, which was labelled 'Dr. Martin Baker'.

"Well I wasn't actually _sleeping_, was I?" the angel replied sarcastically, though there was a grin on his face. This man's aura was… warm, friendly. He had a feeling that he would be seeing more of this person in the future.

"I suppose you weren't," the doctor replied with a small grin back, pulling over a chair and straddling its back. "So, sir, would you be as kind as to tell me your name?"

"Axel Morri—" the angel stopped abruptly. He had existed on this earth at one point; if anyone found his files and found out he was _deceased_, he had a feeling that he'd be in for a huge amount of trouble.

"Axel…?" Dr. Martin repeated in an expectant tone after he wrote something down. The redhead's casual smile twitched in thought and hesitation before replying.

"M-Morris. Axel Aestus Morris." The redhead gave a nod of affirmation.

"Good to see you know your name. Age?" the blonde queried, looking up from his clipboard.

"Twenty one."

"Do you have any family relations?"  
Axel hesitated for a moment, but only for the fraction of a second before responding, "N-no, they're all dead." So he was lying; what could he do, say 'yes, but I'm supposed to be dead right now so they probably won't know I'm here. 8D'?

"Oh, I'm sorry." The doctor gave a quick bow of the head in apologies before continuing, "Do you have your health care number on you, by chance?"

"No, I wasn't aware that my lungs were going to fail when I left the house this morning." The angel replied with a 'no worries' sort of smirk.

"Any I.D. on you?"  
"Nope."

"Address?"  
_Up in the clouds, doc. _"I don't have a home."  
"Then where are you living, Axel…?"  
"Places." The redhead replied with a forced, dumbfounded smile and an oblivious shrug.

"You just said you lived in a house two sentences ago…" Dr. Martin eyed the angel suspiciously, the ghost of a forced smile staying on his face.

"Well, to admit that you're homeless isn't something very… dignified," Axel lowered his head a little, guilt eating away at his mind. He was an _angel, _angels weren't supposed to lie!

"Ah." The doctor gave a nod of understanding, but mentioned nothing else; obviously, he did not want to linger on a difficult subject for as long as he needed to, which made the redhead very grateful, seeing as it wasn't his difficult subject to discuss in the first place. The doctor wrote something down on his clipboard before continuing. "Do you know anyone in the city, Axel?"  
"Do you know a kid named Roxas Hikari?" Axel asked suddenly, his head perking up.

"Y-yes, he… actually happens to be waiting right outside." Dr. Martin replied with a surprised smile. "He said he didn't know you very well. Is he the only person you know?"  
"Mmhm." The angel nodded. "Can he come in?" _I need to make sure that scumbag of a devil didn't hurt the poor thing._

"Sure, I'm done answering questions anyhow." The doctor stood up from the chair he was straddling and began to make his way to the door. "The nurse'll bring you lunch at 12:30. You allergic to anything?" He asked quickly, pausing mid-step.

"Naw." The angel flicked his wrist and grinned. His smile faltered. "Unless… you happen to put _cats_ in your food…" He said slowly, mocking a mortified expression.

The doctor just laughed, opening the door and exiting, but not before an over-anxious blonde rushed in under his arm, clutching a teddy bear and a vase of flowers. Before Axel could even utter a 'Hiya', the blonde took up a peach-colored curtain and pulled it around the bed before sitting down on the chair, looking rather not-amused. Axel resisted the urge to not laugh at the pouty, glaring expression the ruffled teenager wore. There was a brief, awkward pause.

"Hi there." Axel said with a blank smile.

The blonde looked even more irritated.

"So, you fly in out of nowhere, risk your life to save me, end up having your heart fail in the process, and all you can say when I come in to visit you is _hi there?!_" Roxas asked in an incredulous yet angry tone that ended in a high-pitched whisper. The blonde paused before looking down at the objects in his hands and quickly setting them down unceremoniously at the redhead's bed stand.

"Aw, Roxas got me a teddy bear," the redhead reached over and took the stuffed toy off of the table and examined it in his hands. It was a medium-sized, golden-brown bear with small, curly angel wings. Embroidered on its foot was a 'get well soon' in supposed handwriting.

"How do you know my name, anyway?!" The blonde demanded with a suspicious frown, hands snapping down on the metal guards on the hospital bed to gain height, glaring the redhead straight in the forehead. Once again, the angel resisted guffaws.

"And flowers, too?" the patient inquired with a bright smile, picking up the vase which contained an array of pink carnations, daffodils, apple blossoms, a few full-bloomed roses, and a few stocks of an aloe plant. It was an odd mix, but in an odd way, the flowers complimented each other. "I'm flattered, dear."

"They all have a different meaning, that's why they're clashing with each other," Roxas started, but immediately shook his head, remembering he was not here to discuss those things. Locking eyes with the patient in the bed, he cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. "You… had wings before, I saw." He pursed his lips cautiously, staring down at the bedspread as if piecing together his thoughts before continuing. "I'm going to sound so insane, so please don't laugh, but…. _Are you an angel?_"

The split second of denial that Axel had the opportunity of seizing had already passed, so denying it was not an option. He, too, realized how elaborate the weaving in the cotton bedspread was before speaking, not bothering to look up at the blonde, "No one's going to believe you, you know."

"…" the blonde teenager cautiously peered open one eye. "So… I'm right, then?"  
"In a round about way of saying, I suppose so." Axel looked up with a slight smile. "You're not supposed to know, but then again, I'm supposed to be in oblivion right now; I don't think it matters anymore." He laughed quietly, his voice projecting a bouncy, warm sort of feel. Roxas decided he liked that sound.

"Oh." Roxas said, an awkward silence filling the area. What else were you supposed to say when you met your guardian angel? Oh, right… "Erm, thank you…Uh… what's your—"

"Axel Aestus Morris." The redhead finished for him. "I'd prefer if you just call me Axel though. And, don't repeat my middle name."

"I don't even remember what it is." The teen gave a bland shrug, risking a laugh. It was like bells singing into a summer afternoon, or at least, that was how Axel heard it. Then again, he was an angel; angels were supposed to see everything as a poetic form of nature, from the rain against the window pane, to the blowing of a Wal-Mart plastic bag down a parking lot. "Also, it's what I do."

There was a long silence. Roxas itched in his place, squirming a little in impatience. So many questions, so many things to confirm… "So," He started awkwardly, "Where…. Um… did you go? I-I mean," He shook his head quickly when he noticed the confused look on Axel's face, "if you're my Guardian angel, where do you go the whole time?"

"I just stalk you," the redhead replied blankly, blinking a couple of times in even more confusion when Roxas flushed in what seemed to be embarrassment. "What? It's not like I watch you undress or anythi—well, actually, I'm obliged to," he abruptly dropped where he was going when he realized it was a bad idea; Roxas' face had turned a deeper shade of crimson, "N-no, it's not like I'm watching for personal enjoyment or anything! Roxas, I'm an _angel_! I'm not allowed to think that stuff, even if I wanted to!" Sighing in minor annoyance, the redhead dropped his head into his hands and shook it hopelessly, "Mortals, honestly…" He let out a small sigh before something clicked in: he was still alive, correct? This meant that he was still obliged to be a Guardian. So, he still had to complete his job, which suddenly became a lot harder.

"You realize I still have to be your Guardian, right?" the redhead said finally, looking up at the curious blonde.

"But… didn't you already save me?" asked Roxas, cocking his head to the side. "It means your job's done, right…?" he speculated hesitantly. The redhead had to admit; his Dependent was a smart cookie.

"Yes; technically, my job _should _be complete, but…" Axel rubbed his temple before lowering his hands and frowning a little, "A Guardian Angel is supposed to lose their wings when they save their Dependent—",

"Dependent?"

"That's you."

"Oh."  
"Anyway, when an angel loses their wings, they're supposed to fade into nothing. That fading is supposed to be their retirement, you could say. But seeing as I'm still here, it means my job hasn't been completed." The redhead concluded, shifting his shoulder blades about a little to remove some of the discomfort they were causing.

"Ah…" Roxas nodded hesitantly. "Um… I'm sure that if I explained it to my parents, they could let you stay; I mean, they're pretty open-minded, so…"

"Roxas, you don't need to tell me about your parents; I know almost more than you do." The redhead leaned over, and, for the first time in his new existence, touched the blonde, giving his hair a tousle before pulling away. He smiled in triumph at the way that the blonde's hair now stuck up. "It looks good that way; you should keep it." The angel stated. Roxas gave a grunt of disapproval and pressed down his hair. Half of it went down, but the other half stayed up, resulting in a wind-swept effect. Axel decided to keep his mouth shut about how much better it looked that time; he had a feeling that Roxas would continue to squish it down against his skull if he said anything. Smiling a little, he reached over to remove the blonde's hand from his head. The minute his fingertips brushed against the top of the Dependent's hand, a white-hot sting erupted on the top of his own. Flinching, he drew it back quickly on instinct and clenched his hand close to his chest in pain. It seemed as though Roxas was in the same pickle, as he was squeezing the life out of the wrist of the hand that Axel had touched. A small flash of light and a few seconds later, the pain receded as quickly as it came. Letting out what seemed to be a strained sort of gasp, Roxas looked down at his hand. A pale, almost scar-like image seemed to be stained into his skin, portraying a three-pronged, spade-style crown with two outstretched wings hidden just behind the tips of the crown. Hesitantly, the blonde outstretched his hand for Axel to look at. The redhead, who also had been examining the mark on his hand, grabbed Roxas' and examined the two. It was a carbon copy.

"Well, don't ask me what it is, because I have _no _clue."

"Great." Roxas rolled his eyes. "How do we know it isn't some crown-shaped fungus?" when the Guardian gave his Dependent an incredulous look, Roxas' paranoia melted a little at his foolishness. "Well, after today, I'd be willing to believe the_ Tooth Fairy_ exists."

"You know, she actually exists." Axel stated with a grin.

"Pardon?"

"Nevermind."

* * *

A few fun facts:

-The angels refer to Axel as 'Aestus' because it's his angel surname, which is granted to an angel when they join heaven. To say an angel's surname is like saying a devil's surname; it casts bad luck on the person who does.  
- 'Aestus' is latin for heat. Not very epic there, but it sounds pretty! 8D  
-The bouquet of flowers is all mixed up because each flower has a different meaning. Pink carnation means gratitude, daffodils mean admiration and respect, apple blossoms mean good luck and fortune, full bloomed roses also mean gratitude, and aloe is a healing plant, so its deeper meaning refers to good health.  
-Martin Baker was made up in five minutes. I feel like a bad person now. xD

Please note that a lot of the stuff in this fanfiction is based off of my own speculations; though parts of it will be connected to religion, I would like to keep it in a more fantasy-bound corral. It is also to be noted that when I speak of devils and angels, none of it is to be linked to any specific religion whatsoever. That means that with a few switched-up words, this could probably fit your religion, too. I really don't mind. :3 Wasn't really going off of a specific one anyway.

-insert phish phace here-


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry for the slow update, these past two weeks have been filled with too many projects. -sigh- it's times like these when I wish I didn't have a life. xD So, instead of giving you all ten pages, I ticked on an extra five and avoided a nasty cliffhanger 'w' Anyhow, this is dedicated to all of those awesome reviewers, alerters, and favoriters of this story and others! I had a blast talking to you guys. As always, reviews are really cool, from the three-word sentence to the three-page essay (I do that a lot, actually 8D;). Threes. I like threes. It's 3:30 a.m. over here. I'm lacking in caffine. I'm somehow still wide-awake. Maybe it's the Grudge's fault. God I hate that movie, it gives me nightmares. I'm rambling again. Anyhow. As always (Because, you know, it's suddenly become a tradition after one chapter), tidbits and facts about this chapter are stored at the very end so I don't give anything away. See ya at the bottom, and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter two: Will only get you so far.

Axel had to stay admitted to the hospital for another week before he was allowed to be released, as the doctors were still trying to figure out what had caused his heart to fail. After all, his blood pressure was normal, he took no bad substances that would otherwise inhibit his circulation system, the man was free of any disease whatsoever, and had an overall good cholesterol level. It was inconceivable; no doctor in the entire building had ever experienced such a case.

"Perhaps God simply gave the wrong person the heart attack," Dr. Martin mentioned jokingly one day, which made the angel choke on his water.

What was even more incredible about the case was that Axel suffered no effects whatsoever in the aftermath, which made doctors even more suspicious of his case. Part of Axel actually wished he caught a cold or something, just to get the white coats to lay off him for a while. He was even admitted to a private hospital wing so he could be given more thorough examinations. The redhead probably would not have minded the treatment so much had it not been for the fact that at the very moment, his Dependent could be in mortal danger and he would not be there to help. He knew that this was simply paranoia; after all, any second now, a meteorite could crash into the hospital wing and explode in flowery confetti, but that was no reason for him to worry about it. What kept his paranoia spurred on, however, was the demon's promise:  
_"Just so ya know, _you know_, before you _die_, I'm gonna come back for your Dependent in a week."_

Though it was not a true promise, the angel knew that any chance a demon could get to rain havoc on mortals, it would gladly oblige to taking. It was his seventh day being alive.

That meant that the demon would strike any time today. If it were smart, which it probably wasn't, it would strike before Roxas had a chance to visit the hospital. And, of course, the angel was right with the devil being stupid, as that was exactly what it didn't do.

"Hey Axel," the little blonde teenager greeted when he entered the hospital wing, shutting the windowed door behind him, "I brought food."

The mentioned Guardian perked up a little in his bed and smiled brightly, his hands biting at the air in front of the bag of McDonald's that Roxas had so generously brought. "Ooh, ooh, gimme." He paused. "…_Please._" He added with semi-sarcastic emphasis.

"What makes you think it was for you?" Roxas smirked a little and popped a French fry into his mouth.

"Okay then, if it wasn't, go ahead and eat it. I don't mind." Axel replied with a genuine smile and shrugged a little. No more than a few seconds afterwards, the blonde thrust the bag of food at the redhead, head lowered stubbornly.

"You and your guilt-wracking smiles."

"Thank you." Was all that the Guardian said, taking out the order of medium fries, coke, and burger. He didn't quite understand why something so bad for you could be so good, and yet, he found himself eating it anyway. His generation was too poor to afford such ample service, so he may as well have relished in it now while he still had the chance. This, of course, was referring to the fact that despite his death being surpassed, he was not sure it would last very long, and was often wondering who up there in the skies forgot to off him. Not that he was complaining, though; he liked being alive, having a second chance. It was just unnerving having to sit in that hospital bed day-by-day, not knowing when death could strike.

Okay, so maybe he was just a little more paranoid than most angels.

Roxas said nothing and took the bag back, his own serving of not-so-healthy supplements resting inside. He took another fry and stuffed it in his mouth. "Sho, how'sh hoshpital shtuff?"

"Boring. The doctor's have it stuck in their heads that something is dreadfully wrong with me because there _is_ nothing wrong with me." Axel indignantly crossed his arms. "The only one who seems to believe that I'm just fine is Martin, but he can't let me out until the rest of the doctors give him the O.K. to do so."

"That's awful," Roxas commented sympathetically, "I'd hate being locked up in this horrid-smelling room with nothing to do, where the food's horrible, and the nurses are more-than-often unfriendly and blasé, usually—" the Dependent stopped talking when he caught a glimpse at Axel's face, an expression clearly bearing the meaning, 'I don't need to be reminded, thanks'.

Axel cleared his throat. "So, how's school? Seifer giving you any trouble?" The Guardian inquired, unwrapping the burger and taking an enormous bite out of it.

"Not really. I got a death threat in my locker today though, it was really funny. Wanna see?" The blonde asked eagerly, swinging his backpack off of his shoulders and setting it down on the tiled floor before digging deep into its depths to find the parchment. Axel watched, wondering distantly to himself if the backpack ever had a bottom to it.

A bit of backpack excavating later, the blonde emerged with a crookedly folded piece of printer paper and handed it to his Guardian. Axel wiped his fingertips on a napkin, swallowed his food, and opened the note. In mere seconds, he was spurting off laughter like watering hose.

"Oh— Oh jeez, Rox— He, he even replaced 'you' with the letter 'u'! Wh-who was the one who sent you this?!"

"I don't know," the mentioned Dependent responded with a 'See, I told you it'd be funny' smile, zipping up his backpack. "But whoever wrote it must be really stupid. Chatspeak aside, they didn't even stick to proper sentence structure."

"Yeah, pretty stupid…" Axel repeated, smiling in a euphoric manner from laughing so much. The smile he wore quickly faded into a grave frown. His eyes turned cold with concern as he reread the note. "Stupid enough to not take his actions elsewhere… I've seen this person's type before; the writer of this note is probably stupid enough to follow through with his threats. Roxas, you gotta be really careful when you go to school tomorrow." He handed back the note. Something caught his mind and he perked up. "Speaking of careful, you gotta stay at the hospital for tonight."

"Axel, you've been saying that everyday for the past week, and no, I can't." the blonde replaced the note in his backpack and frowned in simple refusal at his Guardian.

"But I need to protect you!"  
Roxas sighed in annoyance. "C'mon Axel, get real; I mean, it's not like any second now, a meteorite is gonna crash into the hospital wing and explode in flowery confetti."

Axel stared at Roxas for a moment. He shook his head and continued. "It's not just sheer paranoia though; I actually know what's going to happen!"

"Enlighten me." Roxas crossed his arms doubtfully; he had a feeling that the angel was only saying that to make him stay a night.

"Someone is going to come after you today." Axel explained in a serious tone. "The day I saved you, there was this demon sitting on the stoplight and he told me he would come after you today because he thought I was going to fade away."

"But what does he want _me_ for?" Roxas asked, looking around in psychological paranoia. Axel shook his head. "I don't know, but whatever it has on its mind isn't going to be good."

"Well either way, I'm not allowed to stay at the hospital for an entire night; I've got school tomorrow." When the angel's expression began to turn sour, Roxas continued hastily, "Look, it's not like I don't believe you, but see, people live in this place called _reality. _Using the excuse, 'My Guardian angel told me to stay home today' isn't going to work against the schoolboard. Or my parents, for that matter."

Axel sighed deeply. He understood that people of Roxas' century were critical thinkers, often using science as a rationale and denying anything that in any way was whimsical whatsoever. Whatever happened to the good old days, when people believed that witches were their next door neighbours? "I understand, Roxas; just be really careful going home today, okay? Go home as fast as you can and keep yourself in other people's presences. But also be careful around them, because demons have been known to hide in the most innocent of shells. Often, it's the abnormal people you shouldn't worry about. Anyhow, mortals may not have the… _greatest _method of defence, but it's better than nothing. And there have been times when a human has been able to go against the odds and do the impossible, so you should be safe. Ish." Axel added the ish in a very sarcastic tone. He thought that if he made things sound doubtful for the blonde's defence, he'd be able to scare him into staying in his presence for the night.

Axel was achieving the goal of scaring Roxas. Now, the blonde was probably too paranoid to go out of the two-foot radius from Axel's bed without getting edgy. But he knew that he couldn't stay at the hospital overnight; even the doctors wouldn't permit him. "Axel, stop. You're just making this hard for me." He zipped up his backpack. "If you don't stop trying to scare me, I'm just going to leave."

"I'm not making it hard for you, I'm just telling you to be careful!" the Guardian mocked an innocent tone. "Besides," he added, putting a bit of a smug pout in his voice, "I don't want you getting ripped limb-by-limb by some _horrible_, bloodthirsty monster that won't hesitate to doing who-knows-what with the body afterwards."

The blonde's expression deadpanned. "Okay, now I _know_ you're lying." He slipped the backpack up over his shoulder.

"I'm not lying, I know devils like the back of my hand." The angel defended, all cocky tones evaporated from his voice. "They will not hesitate to harm any mortal if given the chance."

"Axel, I told you to quit scaring me." The blonde muttered, his voice bordering between strictness and fear as he stood up.

"And I told you to stay here for the night!" the Guardian snapped, sitting up straighter in his bed. Roxas ignored him and continued for the door.

"**Goodbye, Axel,**" the Dependent loudly stated as he neared the door.

"Roxas, if you leave, I—Hey, get back here!" But the blonde did not hear him; the door was already shut.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Though he was not aware of it, Roxas had been moving at a brisk pace ever since he left the Royal Alexandria Hospital. Any time he stopped, he found himself looking around in every direction before moving on. It did not help in the slightest that he was in a not-so-good neighbourhood, either; every person who walked by him often took their chances on giving him a dirty look. So, just for a safety precaution, he took out a few textbooks from his backpack and held them close to his chest, almost like a shield. It somehow felt comforting to have something so sturdy close to him, and he folded his arms over them in a very shojo-schoolgirl manner.

He reached the bus terminal faster than he usually did, and, in such an open area, he began looking about even more frantically, like a rabbit attempting to flee the fox. He was so busy staying on the lookout that when he looked ahead, he abruptly collided with another human being. Adrenaline shot down his legs out of sheer terror and he stumbled back, landing hard onto the pavement on his backside. The textbooks in his arms slipped away and skidded on the sidewalk ahead of him, grinding to an abrupt halt.

"Oh, I'm sorry, let me help you with those." And almost immediately, the person he collided with bent down on their knees to help pick up the books. Feeling rather foolish and embarrassed, the blonde kept his head hung while he stacked the troves of knowledge up in a neat pile. Getting up on one knee, he uttered a small, grateful 'Thanks' to his aid and looked up to face him. The person in front of him gave him a startle, barely taking in the casual, "It's no problem" from the stranger.

Roxas' dark teal-blue eyes were met with aquamarine, opalescent orbs, donned in heavy, dark eyelashes. The stranger's hair was an ice-white, cascading down to his shoulders in feathered layers like a snowdrift after a rather blustery storm. He wore a crisp, white, button-down oxford, partway tucked into his black dress pants. He held an almost cat-like grin on his face, which was rather feminine looking. Roxas had to admit; though he was straight, that guy was pretty hot. It almost wanted to make him wish he swung that way. As he daydreamed, the stranger gave a small chuckle and palmed the blonde's forehead. "Oih, you gonna get up, or do I have to help you?"

The dark, musical voice snapped the student back into reality. "Oh, sorry." He shook his head sheepishly and stood up, the stranger following. The blonde cleared his throat and regained composure. "Sorry for crashing into you, I've just been a little distracted."

"It's no problem." The stranger repeated in a more reassuring tone, reaching a hand over and ruffling the blonde's hair. Roxas attempted to not look uncomfortable at the action as the teen continued, "The name's Riku."

"Roxas." The student replied, finding their palaver a little more than awkward. Looking up through the corner of his eye, the blonde took in Riku's appearance once more. No normal human being had eyes and hair like that. Except maybe for the J-Rockers, but they were already born gods, so they didn't have to worry about it. Riku eyed Roxas warily, before slipping a hand into his pocket and pulling out an iPod. The blonde caught a glimpse at the screen and immediately perked up. "Oblivion?"

"Yeah, you know them?" the other teenager asked, looking mildly surprised.

"Know them?! I have all their songs!" Roxas gushed. "Your favourite song?"

"Iced Roses. The lyrics are just so… twisted, you know?" his eyes glimmered as he spoke, narrowing a little as a different, almost thoughtful smile crept across his face.

"I think the lyrics are rather ironic, actually." The student pressed his thumb against the corner of his mouth as he thought, letting out a small hum as he did so. "My favourite song would have to be… Illuminati. No particular reason, I just like the way the music sounds." Vaguely, Roxas wondered where his precaution went in the last ten minutes, but kept his mouth shut about it. After all, Axel _had_ said, "_Often, it's the abnormal people you shouldn't worry about." _

"It's a close favourite of mine too; I usually listen to it when I'm angry at someone. That… happens too often to count, though, so I guess I listen to it a lot." Riku gave a small laugh and rubbed the back of his head.

"Short temper, or…" Roxas trailed off inquiringly, expecting his acquaintance to fill in the blanks for him.

"Ah no, the more authoritive figures in my life put the pressure a little too hard on me than they should be. I'm only a teenager; what do they want me to do, rule the country?" Riku gave an indignant snort. "Knowing them though, they probably want me to."

"My parents aren't like that," Roxas mentioned; not in a boastful manner, but more of a curious one, "they just let me do whatever. Though you should be glad your parents are so over-bearing."

"And what's so good about that?" Riku chuckled bitterly, "the fact that they'll kill me before I'm in my later years from eons of pressure?"

"No, I'm not saying that;" Roxas shook his head. "There's a fine line between being 'cool', and being 'irresponsible', if you know what I mean."

"Mm." The other teenager gave a curt nod, surfing through his music before concluding that he had nothing good to listen to. "What bus're you taking? I like talking to you."

"The five. I get off at Coliseum Station." The blonde supplied, finally deciding to take a seat at a nearby metal bench. Riku followed with an eager grin.

"No way, I take that bus too!" the other teenager exclaimed, slipping a messenger bag off of his shoulder and digging through it to find a bus ticket. It was rather organized, Roxas noted; everything was sorted to the best of its ability, and in no time, the silver-haired teen emerged with a ticket. "Well hey, I know it's a really awkward way of asking, but you wanna be friends?"

"Sure. Phone number, email?" The blonde inquired, skimming through the contents of his bag before a scribbler emerged. He flipped to the second last page and wrote Riku's name down. "Here, you write it." Handing the teen the scribbler and pen, he didn't notice the triumphant glint that flitted across the other's milky sea-green eyes as he wrote down the required information. "I wrote down my address too, you mind writing your place down for me as well?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"…So then they told me I was too oblivious to realize that you were in 'grave danger'. Honestly, I'm a doctor just like them; why don't they listen? Anyhow, they said I couldn't let you leave." Dr. Martin Baker gave a helpless shrug. "Sorry, I tried. Maybe they're right, though; you should be resting up a little more if you're acting this hysterical."

"I have reason to though! Roxas is in danger!" the angel spilled out before he realized it. He had been having this conversation for five minutes now and was trying very hard to beat around the bush while at the same time, getting to the point. Realizing his mistake, he subconsciously clapped a hand over his mouth in error. Also realizing his stupidity, he lowered the hand to the sheets quickly.

"What? How do you know?" The doctor asked incredulously, feeling panic zip through his veins. Though he had overheard bits and pieces of Roxas' and Axel's conversation, he didn't actually take any of it seriously.

"I just… _know, _okay? Anything I say is just going to confirm my supposed insanity, so I'm not going to bother explaining." Axel swung his head down in exasperation. He perked up and gave his skull a tousle before continuing. "That's not the point! Mart, you gotta get me outta here!" the angel pleaded in a hushed tone as a nurse walked in, taking down some results from some beeping machines (Axel didn't give a damn what they were) before leaving them in privacy once more.

The blonde doctor bit his lip and thought to himself. On the one hand, the other doctors wanted to keep Axel under surveillance and he would be in a large amount of trouble if he discharged the redhead. But, on the other hand, what if Axel was right about Roxas being in danger? And for that matter, what if he _was_ right when he half-suspected the redhead of being a guardian angel?

Then again, he came to that conclusion at four in the morning last Tuesday.

Giving a sigh, he rubbed his temple. "Axel, you owe me so much coffee after this." Standing up from the chair he was at, he made his way to the door. Barely hearing the 'thank you' that his patient threw at him, he exited the doorway and made his way down the hall in semi speed-walk to the desk, quickly filling out a discharge form for Axel and handing it to the receptionist. Now all he had to worry about was finding a way to get his patient out of the hospital without anyone noticing. Being so deep in thought, he didn't realize where he was going, and bumped into something. Stumbling back, he realized it was the rather large, wheeled laundry cart being toted around by Selphie, the college intern for the nursing department. She looked annoyed. He was about to utter a small apology, when something clicked in his mind.

"Say, Selph… you look like you need a break. You want me to take that downstairs for you?" he asked with a casual smile.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"So, what grade are you in?"

Riku perked up from staring at the window and glanced at Roxas, who was wearing an expectant smile.

"Nine, going to ten. You?" he supplied, leaning back on the seat he was in, letting his hair spill over the edge of the sill behind him. Roxas couldn't help but stare at the glittering frosty strands for a moment before replying.

"Eight into nine."

"Really? You look older than that." Riku bit his cheek to keep from cringing. It was obvious that Roxas looked much younger than that, at least enough to look like he was just going into grade seven. But somehow, seeing the excited beam on the blonde's face was worth it.

"How old?" he prodded eagerly.

"Like, my age. Even a little older." The teenager replied in a semi-astonished tone as he looked over the smaller blonde. The _very cute_ smaller blonde. He shook his head mentally; what he had just thought would probably be enough to make his master treat him like a Butterfly. And that, in itself, was not a pleasant thought; Master Ansem was not as merciful as other masters.

"Awesome." Roxas smirked a little in triumph. "People usually say I look younger. How about you? What do people say about you?"

"I don't know, I'm not those people. Though a lot of people treat me inferiorly. Actually, now that I think about it, not a lot of people treat me very well. You're the first person I've been able to have a decent conversation with in a long time." As Riku realized this, he side-glanced his reflection in the window briefly, which for once looked more like a mortal's.

"Oh." The small, dumbfounded sound left his lips awkwardly as he scuffed the floor of the bus with his shoe, which looked very interesting at the moment. "Well… I'm glad I could be the first." He looked up at his new friend with a rare, optimistic smile. It made Riku want to return the favour. He managed a small half smile, which just made him look even more forlorn. Roxas' smile faltered a little. "Say, Riku… you wanna come over to my house today? My parents wouldn't mind; we could sit around and play video games or something."

Riku pretended to look deep in thought. Finally, he smiled.

"Sure, let's do that."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"You're pretty heavy for a string bean." Martin commented with a grunt through the side of his mouth as he shoved the laundry hamper into the elevator. The laundry hamper gave an indignant snort and replied in a muffled tone, "You're just weak. And this was your idea, anyway!"

"The idea that would not have popped up had it not been your concern for your friend. You're lucky I'm so empathetic."

The laundry hamper stayed quiet for the rest of the trip down to the basement.

"Exactly." The doors of the elevator slid open and Dr. Baker pushed the hamper through the exit and none-too-quickly made his way to his Chevrolet Camaro. One of the headlights looked a little smashed up, the corner that it was on looking terribly dented.

Axel climbed his way out of the hamper, tearing off a light pink thong that was tied up in his hair. Awkwardly, he examined the string. "Why is this even in here?" He asked in disgust, throwing it back in the hamper quickly as if it were a dirty diaper. He was now wearing the clothes he originally came in with; a pair of white dresspants and a long-sleeved oxford. He just realized the car was there, silver and sleek. He couldn't take his eyes off of it.  
"To haunt you for many years to come." Martin replied in a blasé tone, pressing a button on his keychain. The car responded with a small honk and the locks clicked. "Get in."

Ungluing his eyes from the exterior of the silver automobile, he slipped into the interior. "You got a pretty sweet ride."

"Would you believe me if I said I won it in a pop-bottle contest?" the doctor inquired with a smile, starting the engine and pulling out of his space. "So, Axel, where're we going?" he asked as he sped out of the parkade.

"He lives in coliseum, which means he has to take the five to get from here to there." He looked down at his watch. "The five has already left fifteen minutes ago and he left fifteen minutes before that, which mean's he's on it. The bus is gonna be down Jasper avenue by now, so we're going…. To the Rexall Place. And step on it." When the redhead looked up, surprised that they were not moving, he came face to face with a weirded-out doctor.

"…How in god's name do you know all that?" He asked finally, his eyes slightly wide in confusion and wariness.

"…That's exactly how I know." The patient muttered to himself under his breath.

"What…?"

"Just go!"

"Okay, okay!" turning the wheel, he turned out of the hospital driveway into the road, going ten kilometres above the speed limit. He stopped at an intersection, pausing for a moment before abruptly turning right into a freeway. Axel squeaked and did up his seatbelt.  
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" the blonde doctor asked in an offended tone. Axel said nothing, but reached over and did up Martin's seatbelt as well. A little bit annoyed, Martin was very tempted to jostle the car about a little to irk the redhead, but they had a blonde to supposedly save.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Oh, this is our stop." Roxas perked up as the bus began to near Rexall place. Riku gave a small nod and stood up, pulling up the blonde with him though it was not entirely necessary. "Hah, that means I wear the pants." The teen grinned in triumph.

"It wasn't like you weren't wearing pants anyway…" the other blonde stated blankly, not quite getting it.

"No, not like that. The pants. I'm the guy. In this relationship." Riku elaborated choppily, using his hands to emphasize certain points.

"What relationship?" Roxas asked plainly, blinking twice in confusion. "I don't get it." Giving a small groan of annoyance, the other teen slid his hand down his face before grabbing Roxas' chin and pecking his lips against Roxas' gently before pulling away with an impish smirk. "Do you get it now?"

Roxas nodded slowly as he blinked owlishly at the space in front of him, mouth slightly agape. Riku laughed and patted the blonde's cheek. "You're so fun to mess with." And with that, he turned to the side door of the bus.

Roxas wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stared at the older teen in front of him. They had only just met, what, two hours ago? What kind of person went around kissing every person they met? _Sounds a bit trampy to me…_ the blonde thought, shivers prickling down his spine as he thought back to the moment. There was something abnormally addicting in what Riku had given him, and as he looked back on it, he craved more of that feeling_. Is that a bad thing?_ He thought. Moreover, would it be bad to ask for more?

"You're abnormally quiet," Riku mentioned, mentally smirking. He knew full-well what sort of thoughts were probably running through the blonde's mind now.

"You just kissed me! What do you want me to be doing, ranting about how amazing it was?!" the blonde cried in an incredulous tone, putting his hands on his hips and glaring at the back of the other teen's head.

"So it was amazing, huh?" The tone Riku had used was not far from smug.

Roxas gave a small, annoyed grunt before leaning against a pole while the bus pulled into the terminal. "So what if it was?"

"Then that makes _me _amazing." With that being said, the silver-haired teen exited the bus. Roxas blinked once, drooping a little in half-hearted disappointment before following.

"Your house isn't far from here, right?" Riku asked, eyeing the dip in the road under the bridge where the subway ran. "So we could just walk. Nice weather out, anyway." The sky was a crystal blue, sunlight filtering through a few clouds warmly as a strong, but cool breeze blew by.

Roxas gave a small nod. "Yeah, we just gotta cross the street at some point."

"Alright then, let's go."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Axel and Martin were not far behind, either, reaching the bus terminal only five minutes after Roxas and Riku had left.

"Snap, we missed it!" Martin looked over at Axel after his sudden outburst.

"So, now what?"

"Uh…" Axel poked his head out of the window on his side and looked up at the sky. "The weather is nice. He'll be walking."  
"So where do you want me to go now?" the doctor was beginning to sound slightly annoyed, glaring a little at the road ahead and tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

"Ahm… g-go down to the Fireside. But go slow after that." No sooner did the words leave his mouth did the car start moving again. The angel released a hesitant sigh, guilt and panic combining to make his stomach churn unpleasantly. There was a small pause before Dr. Baker spoke up.

"Axel, how… exactly, is Roxas in danger, and how do you know?" he asked hesitantly, continuing to keep his eyes on the road. Axel paused.

"Someone told me they were going to attack him."

"…Why?"

"I don't know, I'm not them!" the redhead snapped, narrowing his eyes at the dashboard.

"Well, how do you know he hasn't already been attacked? Or worse, kidnapped?" Martin frowned. Perhaps the other doctors were right when they said to keep Axel in the hospital...

"If he were attacked, there'd be a crowd. And… I really don't know. I just have this… _feeling_, you know? He'll be fine, but not around here."

Pursing his lips, Martin suddenly swerved into the Fireside parking lot. The redhead squeaked, clinging onto the portable armrest for dear life. The doctor slammed on the brakes in a parking spot and exited the car. "Get out."

Not bothering to ask what the doctor was doing just yet, the angel left the car and shut the door. "What're we doing now?"

"Being smart." The blonde replied, flicking his gaze about the area in a jittery manner, almost as if looking for something. He perked up when he saw an old, rotting fence nearby and smiled, ripping off a half-splintered plank of the mahogany wood. Axel looked at him weirdly. "Why're you…"

"If Roxas is going to get attacked, we need to be prepared for the worst. Grab a plank."  
"…I'm good thanks."

Because of the fast travel Axel and Martin had achieved, Roxas and Riku were not that far off. They were up ahead no further than one block, simply chatting idly with each other about their favourite bands. While Roxas was going on about 'Hybrid Rainbow', Riku couldn't help but notice a high-pitched 'creeee' noise ringing in his ears, subtle at first but soon so loud that it was giving him a headache. He rubbed his temples, an inner conflict going on in his mind. The ringing in his ears grew to a painful screech, making him stop in his tracks and clutch onto his head. The devil could barely hear Roxas ask him if he was okay. Riku gave in.

And with that, the pain receded as quickly as it came, lowering to a dull throb.

"I'm fine, I just kinda have a headache." Riku looked up from where he was standing and smiled blankly at the other blonde. Perking up suddenly, he glanced down a back alleyway they were passing and his grin grew broader. "Hey, look at that!" the teenager dashed into the dusty-looking street. Roxas tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Look at what?"

When he finally caught up with his friend, the two were deeply embedded in the surprisingly narrow alley. Everything was abnormally still; the moderately strong breeze blowing about only seconds ago had stilled to nothing. There was no sound; no people calling, no cars driving by, no bugs buzzing or birds chirping. It was as if someone had frozen time, but as he looked back at the busy road he left behind, he realized he was wrong— the cars were still driving by. Riku smiled at him a little. "Over there, just past the trees. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it." Backing up a little behind the smaller blonde, he smirked at Roxas' effortless searching. He closed his eyes.

There was a bird nest in the tree past the first, and a broken up fridge beside someone's house, but aside from that, there was nothing interesting-looking. Spinning on his heel to turn back to his friend, he replied, "Riku, I can't see—"

The blonde paled.

"What, Rox? You look like you've seen a ghost." the teen asked casually with a cat-like grin, sauntering a step closer. Roxas took another step back. "Or, maybe a demon." He was back to his original appearance, odd skin and all.

Roxas opened his mouth, but no sound would come out. Adrenaline seemed to be petrifying his joints; it was becoming difficult to take steps backwards. This was the typical scene in a horror movie, Roxas thought, the victim never runs in confrontations like this because they're so scared.

"Aww, scared?" The demon looked down at his purple-gloved fingertips with a grin before summoning a bat wing-like blade and looking back up at the petrified teen. "Scream all you want, no one's gonna hear you anyway."

Instincts to survive seemed to kick in then, and Roxas stumbled back and spun on his heel clumsily before making off to the end of the back alleyway. He smiled in relief as he reached the mouth of the street, but his face met with an invisible wall when he tried to break free. He felt something breathing down his neck and turned around to come face-to-face with his predator.

He could have shit bricks.

"Nowhere to run, Roxas." As the blonde frantically looked about and pressed himself back against the invisible wall, the demon cackled, throwing his head back. "Where's your angel now, huh?"

Angel.

_Axel._

"AXEL!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_AXEL! _

The mentioned angel stopped dead in his tracks. "He's in trouble."

"What? How do you—" The doctor didn't have time to finish his sentence as Axel grabbed his sleeve and dragged him off into a run. "No time for questions!"

As he reached the alleyway, he peered down it. There was nothing there to see, but he could sense it. His Dependent's aura, somewhere in that alleyway. It was strong, as most auras were when adrenaline became a factor. He hesitantly reached his hand in front of him, drawing it back quickly when it made contact with something solid. "Crap!" the redhead gave an annoyed sigh. "It isn't very strong, though; he probably doesn't think I'm alive."

"What isn't very strong?" Dr. Martin piped up, feeling the invisible wall for himself with a paled expression.

"That. Now shut up and let me concentrate." He paused. "_Please._" He added tensely. Slipping two fingers into the front pocket of his oxford, he pulled out a pure white feather and pressed it against the invisible wall. "_Solvo porta." _The feather disappeared in a white-blue light, the same light crawling over the invisible wall and removing it. He looked back at the doctor, who was staring at him blankly. "Ask me later, follow now." Giving a quick motion with his head, he darted into the alleyway. Shaking his head quickly, the blonde followed.

"Y'know, it would have ended a lot more painlessly if you had just stopped squirming." Riku stated blandly, watching with slight amusement as Roxas tried to fight him off with a rusting metal pipe. The trembling blonde was backed up against a tree, 'blade' to blade with Riku and covered in cuts and gashes. The student was attempting to hold Riku off with the pipe and he was losing; it was obvious how biased the fight was. His knees were beginning to give way. Noticing this, Riku snatched the opportunity and pressed on with a greater amount of effort, making his victim fall to his knees, head bowed, though his arms did not give in. "It's a shame I have to kill you; you're a pretty fine catch."

"That's so cliché." The blonde muttered with a half hearted smile, his arms trembling above him.

"Really? Hm, guess it is." Riku didn't realize he had loosened his grip until his blade was smacked out of his hands by a panting blonde.

"Like that's going to do anything." The demon cackled, hunching over his victim. Reaching down, he pulled the blonde up by the collar, staring him down through the close proximities with a maniacal smile. For the first time in the struggle, the blonde made eye contact with the demon. Though he was smirking like a serial killer, his eyes spoke a different language, one of guilt and apology.

_"You're the only person I've actually been able to have a decent conversation with in a long time." _

_"Well hey, I know it's a really awkward way of asking, but you wanna be friends?"_

_""What bus're you taking? I like talking to you."_

"You…. You don't actually want to do this." The blonde said finally. It was not an assumption, it was an observation.

"Don't be stupid." Riku snorted with a glare, throwing Roxas down to the ground harshly. The blonde's arms shook as he tried to push himself up.

"Your eyes can't lie, Riku."

There was a tense pause that seemed to last hours. Then, the demon let out a low chuckle. It grew into a casual laugh, then a maniacal cackle. "You humans think you know _everything!_" He re-summoned his blade and grabbed Roxas by the throat, slamming him into the back of the tree. "Well, let me teach you the moral of this story, Roxas: just because it's what you think, doesn't mean it's true." As he reeled back his blade, the student kept staring into those crystal-aqua eyes. _I'm so, so sorry, please forgive me._ Roxas squeezed his eyes shut for the impact.

"STOP!"

The blonde peered one eye open. His expression brightened when he saw where the demand had come from. "Axel!" He cried in a weak tone, staring at his Guardian with relief. The expression replied was one of panic.

"Put him down, demon! I won't hesitate to take action!" Whipping out a feather, the redhead glared down at his enemy. Martin, who was staring at the scene in shock, managed to gain his composure and slipped out of the way before anything broke out.

Riku had almost dropped Roxas in surprise; no one else was supposed to be here. What really got him, though, was _who _was there. "Y-you're supposed to be dead!"

Axel stared sharply at the devil for a moment; he took a step forward and suddenly vanished. Roxas looked around in panic before returning his eyes to Riku, who had turned back to him slowly with that same smile that made his skin crawl off. "Looks like it's just you and me."

"_peto somnus , parum everto._" Riku's eyes widened, his body stiffening up for a moment. His eyes slipped shut and he slumped over Roxas' body. There was a long pause before Axel and Roxas hesitantly cracked small smiles. Axel rounded the fallen teen and began to pull his dependent out of the way.

Then, Riku began to laugh.

"You… actually thought that would work, didn't you?!" Riku flipped his head up, a wide smile on his face. "You actually thought you could defeat _me_ with such a weak spell?" The demon laughed loudly. "As if—" he paused for a moment, feeling someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned around.

THWAP!

"I don't know what the hell is going on here," Dr. Martin muttered, throwing down the plank of wood beside the unconscious Riku and frowning at Axel and Roxas, "but you owe me an explanation. The both of you."

"I've got about as much of a clue as you do," Roxas put up his hands innocently, giving a small shrug.

Upon hearing Roxas speak, Axel turned his attention back to him. "You okay? He didn't hurt you, did—" he saw the deadpan look on his Dependent's face, "Okay, so he hurt you, but he didn't get you _too_ badly, did he? Can you walk?"

"You guys gonna give me an answer?" Doctor Martin cocked an eyebrow at the two.

"I should be fine," the blonde pulled himself up, using the tree as support. Hesitantly, he released the flora, and straightened his stance. "Yeah, I should be fine till we get home." He smiled at Axel, who frowned right back.

"Show me you can walk."

Roxas' smile faltered. He took one step forward, and another, though he had to set most of his weight on his right foot instead, which made him wobble a little. He turned back to his Guardian, who was still frowning. He frowned back. "So I limped! I can still walk!"

"Okay then, you guys can just, you know, ignore me." The doctor sat on the ground and gave a bland shrug.

"Well, you're still hurt. That's the point." The angel retorted, walking over to Riku and bending over the small demon. He took out a feather, yet again, from his pocket, and pressed it against Riku's chest. "_Vado tergum ad vestri domino." _A thick, dark fog crept over the devil's body, and when it dissipated, Riku was gone. Sound existed again; magpies were meeping loudly in the background and cars were speeding about. Somewhere in the distance, a group of teenagers were making jokes about rusty spoons.

"Where'd he go?" Roxas asked in slight concern, turning to the scene but not following over as walking was now such a hassle.

"Back to where he came from. He won't bother us for a while now." The Guardian replied, standing up straight and making his way back to his Dependent.

"I'd be happy to be involved in this conversation anytime now," Martin patted his knees impatiently.

"So he's still going to come back…?" the blonde asked hesitantly, looking up at the redhead. Axel gave a nod. "I'm afraid so; I don't know any spells that can get rid of a demon completely."

"Will someone PLEASE talk to me!" Dr. Baker snapped. Roxas and Axel glanced at the blond and blinked.

"Err… where do I start…?" Axel asked hesitantly. He perked up. "Talk while we walk?"

Roxas cocked his head to the side. "Why? Not that that's a bad idea, but…"

"Car." Axel pointed behind the doctor. The owner of the car gave an impatient honk, herding the three off of the road quite quickly. "So, let's go." Axel paused for a moment before hoisting Roxas up on his shoulder. The smaller blonde yelped. "Hey! Put me down!" The angel gave a snort.

"Would you rather I carry you like a bride?"

Roxas kept his mouth shut for the rest of the walk to Martin's car.

"So, where do I start… Well, are you going to deem me insane?" the redhead looked over towards Dr. Baker as he started the car. The blonde looked over at him slowly.

"After today, if you told me you were secretly Godzilla, I'd believe you."

The angel tapped his lip once and stared ahead at the road. "Well, for starters, I-…" the redhead stopped abruptly.

"What is it?"

The patient in turn gave a small laugh, shaking his head. "It just seems really weird to admit I'm a guardian angel, is all."

Dr. Martin perked up. "So I was right! Ha! Anyway, keep going."

"So I guess it all started after some stupid scandal. Long story short, I was sentenced to being a Guardian for one lifespan."

Roxas frowned at this statement from the back seat. "So, what, I'm just a punishment to you?"

Axel shook his head. "Being punished isn't about being punished, it's about learning a lesson. You're not a sentence, you're a responsibility. The only reason it was used as a sentence for me was because I needed to learn that a mortal's well-being, both mental and physical, is very important and it can't be destroyed because one wants to have amusement. Or something like that. But most angels don't go for this job because of the fact that being a Guardian is a lifetime sacrifice. You have two choices: Save the person, lose your wings, and become nothing, or follow that person until they die. I don't know what happens after that, though; I've often heard you become ghosts or demons, or you just go up to heaven again, but those are just rumors. No one wants to find out what happens."

Dr. Martin cringed. "Ouch. But, how come you're alive, then?"

Axel gave a small shrug. "I'm not too sure myself. I'm not complaining, though. I don't think I would have been around though if it weren't for that demon. He was the one who was going after Roxas in the first place. Just before my wings were gone, he came and he told me that after I was gone, he was going to get rid of you, Roxas. I couldn't let that happen to you. So, I asked for a chance. And I got one, I guess. Though I wish I had my wings back; I ran out of my spare feathers trying to get rid of that demon."

No sooner had he said that, a small, sharp pain erupted in his back. He leaned away from the seat a little. Two small, stubby wings grew out from his back, flaring out a little before folding against his back. Dr. Martin slammed on the brakes. "Holy crap!"

Cars behind their car honked impatiently. Not wanting to cause much of a scene, the doctor started the car up again and drove on. "What the hell?"

The wings batted and flared out a little as Axel attempted to get a good look at them. "They're so short! I feel like a dork." The angel crossed his arms. His wings seemed to wilt and folded against his back once more. Their wingspan was no longer than Axel's forearm, a big difference compared to their once meter-long length.

"Aww, they look sad!" Roxas reached over and tugged at the little wings, which perked up and folded out contentedly. Axel reached behind and batted at the blonde's hands. "Don't encourage them!"

"God must really like you, Axel," Martin spoke up, "I don't think he would have given your wings back, or your life for that matter, if you didn't."

Axel stared out the window with a slight smile. "I don't know how it's happening, seriously."  
"So, you don't have a clue what's going on, either…?" Roxas asked hesitantly, staring down at the mark on his hand. "Th-then, what's this? And why do you have one too?" he held up the back of his hand for the two to see.

"We've been over this, Roxas; I have no idea where it came from. There's a lot of things I don't know. I just don't question it."

Martin took a small glance at the blonde's hand before looking back at the road. "Do you suppose it's some sort of bond? Also, where am I going? No one's told me that yet."

"11308 69 street." Roxas and Axel replied in unison. They exchanged weird looks.

"….Why do you have my address memorized…?"

"….Why don't you have my _face_ memorized?"

Roxas' weirded out look faded away and he rolled his eyes. "Great. All the Guardians in the world, and I had to get the one with brain damage."

"Yeah, the Guardian with the brain damage who saved your life. _Twice._" The angel boasted with a triumphant grin.

"…Touché."

Axel turned back to the driver. "So, you're all filled in then, yes?"

Dr. Baker gave a small nod. "Yes, just about, but, I have one question."

"What?"

"Well, you lived in heaven once, right?"

'Uh huh."

"Does the tooth fairy live there too?"

"…Pardon?"

"Nevermind."

* * *

Facts:  
-Yes, I do intend to end every chapter with something to do with the Tooth Fairy.  
-Axel only knows about 20 spells. That's it. Zip. Most of them are actually pretty useless.  
-I was very tempted to make Roxas go Uke-mode when Axel found him. Then I remembered that I love keeping fluff away from you guys. Plus, Roxas would be mad at me if I did. Not that I interract with the story characters or anything. Btw, Riku says hi.  
-'Butterfly' is a term demons and devils use to describe a traitor. It's a terrible insult, because butterflies are probably the weakest bugs out there.  
-An explanation on spells: with a lot of Axel's spells, there's the root, and then there's the subject. The root is the main spell. That's the part that's learned. The subject is what you have to tick on after it in order for it to work correctly. So, if the root of the spell were "release", if you just used that, it wouldn't work because it wasn't directed at something.

Translations:  
-_Solvo porta: _Release the gates. "Solvo" is the root.  
-_peto somnus , parum everto_: Go to sleep, little demon. "Peto Somnus" is the root.  
-_Vado tergum ad vestri domino_: Go back to your master. "Vado tergum ad" is the root. So you could be like, sitting in the living room, being a couch potato, and you'd be too lazy to, I don't know, put your dirty dishes away. So you could be all, "Vado tergum ad... sink." And then they'd go to the sink. And then you'd feel awesome.  
Yeah, I have the brain capacity of a two-year old. Shoot me.

I was going to say something here. Then I forgot. xD... Hm. What was I going to say? Dang. I had this entire rant planned out in my brain. Oh yes!  
Have you ever noticed how in fanfiction, usually all the last names are derived from one culture only? That makes me laugh so hard. It isn't like every person in the world comes from Japan because their names sound cool. I don't know, maybe it's only like this in Canada, but in a class of 16, you'll get about twelve different culture-oriented last names.  
Or maybe people use Japanese last names because the video game/anime originated from Japan. That would make sense, it would... Though with KH, I don't think the main characters had a focused culture. Huh.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you've got any questions or concerns, or if you just want to be awesome, it'd be great if you left me a review.

It's four a.m. over here. I'm somehow still wide awake. Maybe it's Salad Fingers' fault. God he creeps me out. He's funny though.

-o/\o (**HAH! I GOT THE PHISH PHACE TO WORK!**)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: D'awww, new chapter! How long has it been since I've updated… One, two months? OUCH x-X I'm so sorry I didn't get to it soon enough! Animethon came up, and I needed to get my first cosplay done all quick-like. If you wanna see, I'll link it to you if you review. I'm sure you don't want to be reading an author's note though, so… Just get on with the story. Beginning's a little confusing, and I should really go back and rewrite it, but I've spent too much time on this chapter already. I'd rather just finish it early.

* * *

Chapter three: Even an angel needs help sometimes,

The drive back to Roxas' house from that point on had been filled with an odd sort of air— it was tense, but in a curious manner, mixed together with concern and sprinkled with gratitude, whilst being frapped with confusion and relief.

To say frank, it was an interesting sort of recipe.

It had not lasted long, however; it had been noted quite quickly that on the drive back from going around in circles (it had turned out that Martin was not the best person at finding locations, and Axel made a mental note to not let the doctor take the three on a road trip), where there was a small convenience store, an Asian man had dashed out of the shop and was currently shouting at a random redheaded girl clad in a red winter jacket, supposedly accusing her of stealing a phone card. However, the poor man's accusations were not accustomed to being used in English, so the majority of his shouting came out as "Phone card! You steal phone card!". This was enough to make Roxas and Dr. Baker go into a fit of laughter. Axel wasted no time smacking the two upside the head and scolding them for laughing at someone else's misery.

Axel had quickly been labelled a hypocrite after cackling at a child playing in a nearby field who got his face smashed in by a pop-fly soccer ball.

Not soon after, they made it home. Because of Roxas' state, or perhaps because of Axel's obsessive concern for the blonde's well-being, the angel insisted on carrying the blonde back inside.

"I'm not a girl, Axel. I can go inside my own house without any help, thank you very much." The blonde had declined in forced politeness, attempting to get out of the car completely from his hanging-out-of-the-doorway status. The angel shook his head.

"I'm not _saying_ you're a girl, I'm saying you're injured and shouldn't be on that foot more than you need to." He bent down to scoop Roxas up, but the stubborn 8th grader grabbed the redhead's wrists before he could accomplish his goal.

"Yes, but see, I _need_ to get into my house. So I need to _walk_ to my house."

"Alright, alright. You win." The angel moved out of the way to let Roxas through. The blonde gave a grin of triumph and exited the doorway.

He had taken no more than three less-than-painful steps on the silky grass before he found himself in weightlessness.

"Hey! You cheapskate, two faced liar! Put me down!" The blonde spat insults, whether relevant or irrelevant, his cheeks going red from being in such a degrading position. Roxas attempted to tug away at Axel's hands to make him let go, but it had taken only two pulls to make the blonde realize that just moving his arms, his _fingertips,_ was painful. Letting his dawning of realization show on his face, he mutely lowered his arms back down to his stomach. Axel replied with a small chuckle, which was retorted with a glare. The angel ignored it and began speaking anyway.

"Finally feeling it, huh? Yeah, adrenaline will usually cover that up for a while, but it never lasts long. Besides, as a well-known man once said, 'Accept help when it's offered.'"

"Who was this well-known man?"

"Pfsh, beats me."

Axel brought Roxas into a walkway of a nearby house, Dr. Baker following behind closely. The yard was full of flush, unclipped grass that flattened down slightly because of its own weight. There were two poplar trees on either side of the yard, towering so high that the light shining on the ground from the sun was stained the green of its leaves. There was a large patch of composting leaves under each of the trees, coming very close to the resemblance of soil which indicated how long, exactly, the leaves had been there. Straight ahead from the simple, concrete walkway was a small, wooden porch, leading up from slightly-rotting wooden stairs. The houses' interior wasn't much to look at either; a two-floor building, two windows on the bottom floor and none on the top. The walls of the exterior looked as if someone had slopped on a bunch of glue on them and showered it with shattered quartz. The screen door on the front looked home-made. Home-made, and thoroughly torn apart. Axel gingerly put down his Dependent, whom immediately withdrew his left foot from the wooden porch. The angel regarded this half-heartedly and slipped his hand through a hole in the screen, undid a hook-lock connecting the screen door to the door frame before swinging open that door and the second behind it. Gesturing for Roxas to walk through, he let the blonde pass. The angel cringed lightly at the way the blonde seemed to wobble when he walked, but followed in anyway.

The minute Dr. Baker walked into the house, he had to put a hand to his mouth to keep from taking in the scent of the house, which was overwhelmed with cigarette smoke. He watched in horror as he saw Roxas take in what seemed to be a comforted breath, obviously finding the smell somehow refreshing. However, he kept his mouth shut; it wasn't Roxas' fault that someone in that house smoked, after all, unless it was Roxas himself. Then again, he probably would have lit up by now if he did.

Roxas kicked off his shoes clumsily into a small heap at the shoe mat before shuffling into the hallway and turning right. He was so tired, so sore; he just wanted to collapse right then and there. Three steps, two steps, one step—

"Oh-oh-oh, don't think you're going to bed just yet, mister. You need to get your wounds treated." Dr. Martin scolded firmly, tapping a first-aid kit in his hand. Roxas turned around slowly and blinked heavily.

"Must I?"

"Yes."

"Roxas, he's right," Axel agreed, crossing his arms. "Just going to sleep is probably going to let infection set in." He put two reassuring, comforting hands on the blonde's shoulders and guided him into the kitchen. He pulled a wooden chair up, and Roxas sat down. Dr. Baker knelt down to the cream-linoleum tiles and began to unpack supplies from the kit: a small box of q-tips, a few bottles and cases, a roll of bandages and tape, a pair of medical scissors. The more things the doctor pulled out of the white plastic box, the more uneasy Roxas became. He didn't like bandaging things in the first place, but Martin was a doctor. He was going to do more than just bandaging, he could tell. The blonde pulled his legs up to his chest in what seemed to be a protective stance. "You're not touching me."

"Roxas, it won't hurt—"

"Yes it will."

Dr. Martin let out an annoyed sigh. He thought this little act would have passed after a child turned nine, but it seemed he was wrong. "It only hurts if you make it hurt."

"That makes no sense!" The blonde's voice reached a shrill tone at the end of his sentence. "You don't know what you're talking about, you're going to screw up, and it's going to hurt!"

"You know what hurts? Having your bloodstream and all surrounding tissue being turned to mush." Dr. Martin stated firmly, frowning at the blonde.

"That won't happen." Roxas crossed his arms over his legs stubbornly.

"If those wounds don't get cleaned, it will. A certain virus can travel through dirt and open wounds, and it can infect you in less than three days. I've seen three cases of it, and it's not pretty. Doesn't smell pretty, either; you smell like rotting flesh when it sets in." He beamed up at the little blonde, who was staring at him with wide eyes. "So I'll ask you, Roxas: are you going to let me help you?"

Roxas gave a small, meek nod and lowered his legs to the floor.

"Glad to see we're making progress."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"You disappointed me, Riku."

The mentioned demon lowered his head slightly, but gave no sound.

"I gave you a simple task, the simplest of tasks to be completed. I told you to get rid of that tainted one. It should have been easy for someone of your status; I expected you to be back in less than an hour, holding that boy's broken soul in your very clutches. Instead, you come back to me unconscious. Care to explain yourself?" The speaker leaned against a throne he was sitting in, resting his chiselled chin against his white-gloved hand. His mouth quirked into the subtlest of smiles, a dark, threatening smirk which sent shivers down Riku's spine.

"The Guardian is back, Master. He stopped me before I could finish him off."

Master's smile dropped immediately. He slammed a dark, mocha-skinned hand down on the thick, black armrest of the throne. "THAT IS NO EXCUSE!" The force of the shout echoed thickly in the dark, scarlet-shaded hall. Riku cringed visibly. Master continued. "How, exactly, was this planned?"

Riku took in a breath and hesitated before replying. "I was going to trap him in an alleyway and off him right then and there, Master."

Master's face was pensive for a moment. After a moment, the man's lips slowly curled into a wide smile. He walked off of the stair-cased throne and approached Riku, his snow-white hair sweeping behind him with every step. Crouching down so he was eye-to-eye with the silver-haired teen, he leaned towards the boy's ear.

"Do you want to know what I think of that?"

The young demon had tensed up the minute his Master began smiling again. Goosebumps prickled down his forearms, feeling the abnormally cold breath of his Master's travel down his neck. It felt disgusting, like stepping on a slug with bare feet. "What do you think of it, Master?"

He could hear the frown in Master's reply. "I think it's a load of bullshit." An overwhelming feeling of having the breath squeezed out of his lungs enveloped the smaller demon. Riku gave a strangled cry of pain, curling and uncurling his toes and gnarling his fingertips to attempt to keep the pain at bay. He was jolted off of the ground by whatever was holding him. His Master was still at eye level, but the man was now standing, thickly-muscled arms crossed over his impressively fit chest. "You will tell me the truth. Why was it that you had taken so long?" When the demon simply replied with a strangled gasp, Master motioned his head to the side vaguely and the grip on Riku's body loosened. Riku let out a silent sigh of relief, glad the Guardian behind him had obeyed his Master. Then again, it always obeyed Master. Though it was one of the most feared demons in the entire Underworld, no one was as powerful as Master Ansem. It was by a mere stroke of misfortune that his Master had come across him when he first existed.

"Answer me, Riku."

Snapping back to reality, Riku hesitated for a second. "I was… enjoying myself up there, you could say. The Mortal's world is very complex, but at the same time so… ignorant, I couldn't help but linger a while." He replied reluctantly. It wasn't exactly a lie; he was just leaving out parts of the truth and twisting up some words.

"Enjoying yourself." Ansem asked dully, crossing his arms. "Riku, I find that a hard pill to swallow. You have been sent up a multitude of times beforehand, and not once did you dawdle. You always completed your missions quickly and efficiently. It is why I send you up there in the first place, aside from the fact that your resemblance is near to that of a mortal's." The words might have sounded sincere and concerned on parchment, but in anyone's ears they would come out cold as ice, frosted with contempt and on the edge of anger.

Riku gave a shaky sigh. There was no squirming out of this one by any means whatsoever. "I went undercover as a human as I normally do, blending in with the crowd like nothing aside from my hair. I went to the tainted one's bus stop as soon as school let out, hoping to catch him there, but he never showed." He stopped talking, inviting Ansem to supply his thoughts.

"So you came back unconscious because of a mortal's absence? I highly doubt it. Finish your little 'tale'." Tapping the floor with his toe, Ansem floated back up to his throne and sat down.

Riku swallowed back any nervousness. He had learned long ago that to be nervous was a bad thing, especially in front of his Master. "I was not one to give up, however. You know my efficiency; I'll go through until the bitter end. Tracking him down was definitely not easy; in fact, I met him almost by a fluke. But the fact of the matter is that I had him in range."

"So if you found him, what was the problem?" Master asked, resting his chin against his propped-up hand.

"It was at a bus station. Too many humans. If I attacked him there, my cover would have been blown. That was why it took so long in the first place; I needed to find a safe place to take him to, which was, ironically, a block away from his house." Riku replied in a firm, professional tone, staring down his Master's sharp amber eyes with his icy aqua ones. He left out the part about his newly-made bond with Roxas. "That place happened to be the alleyway I mentioned. I set up a weak barrier. It was impossible that a human could have gotten past, and I highly doubted that a Guardian would be in the premises."

Ansem chuckled; it was a warm, light-hearted laugh. Such a laugh was rare, only escaping when his Master was truly at ease and satisfied. "Ironic, is it not, that it is only when we least expect disaster does disaster strike?"

Such a statement immediately made Riku ease up. He had somehow gotten Master Ansem in a euphoric state, which automatically made him more understanding. He was very tempted to leak the whole story, but something in his gut told him that would be a bad idea, especially if he wanted to see Roxas again. So, keeping his mouth shut about the deeper matters, he continued. "Yes, very ironic. As you expected, the one person I knew would never show up ended up doing so. Caught off guard, a few of his attacks managed to have a small effect on me, but not by much. I had a feeling of overwhelming confidence from that point on, and as I had the two backed up in a corner, someone tapped me on the shoulder." Riku clenched his eyes shut, faking difficulty to recall the next moments on. "I caught a flash of… someone, but it wasn't the Guardian or the tainted one. There was a loud smack, my head hurt, and then everything was black. I have no idea what happened after that." His story was partially true, he had not recalled who had hit him, but he knew that it was a plank of wood that had sent him cold. But if he had told that to Ansem, what would his Master think?

His master shook his head, smiling a little at Riku's pathetic story. He motioned to the Guardian behind Riku, who dropped him immediately. The Guardian was a terrifying demon, a being that struck fear into the hearts of whoever saw him. Its very presence brought an omen of death and pain. It looked almost like a genie, as instead of having legs, its hips moulded into a sort of jagged tail. It was a muscular creature, with arms and hands that were as thick as a man's torso and strong enough to strangle the air out of the strongest human with one squeeze. Black as the night sky, it hovered a few feet above the air to make it seem taller than it really was. The only other color that lingered on its body was its electric blue eyes and two cream colored 'x's, one on its chest and the other covering his mouth like tape. No one truly knew where it came from, aside from Master Ansem, who would only state that it was a mockery of what _They_ truly stood for. Who 'They' were, no one knew. Gliding slowly on air, the demon backed off and took its place behind Master Ansem.

"I do not wish to hear a similar story as this again, Riku. Is there anything, that despite your failure, you managed to achieve?" He asked, frowning a little. Riku swallowed before grinning confidently.

"His address, phone number, school, and his e-mail."

"Good boy." His Master grinned in satisfaction. The smile suddenly faded into a frown. "…How did you come across such information, by chance?"

"I raided his things when he wasn't looking." Riku replied calmly and simply, staring through his boss as if he were nothing but a translucent curtain. It seemed to be enough to satisfy Ansem.

"Good, good. You will find that information useful in your next mission." Master Ansem replied, pressing his fingertips together. "You will be going back up to fix the mistakes you have created. Both of them. I want that angel either broken and in your hands, or I want him dead. As for the boy…" Master Ansem rubbed his chin in thought before smirking darkly. "Do what you wish with him."

Riku mirrored his Master's expression, eyes shaded by the humble lowering of his head. "It will be done, Master."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"See, I told you it wouldn't hurt." Dr. Martin concluded, putting the final hook on a tensor bandage wrapped around Roxas' left ankle. The blonde gave his fingers a spread, moved his arm and shoulders a few times before smiling.

"I guess you were right, it's almost as if I didn't get hurt in the first place!" before he could shut his mouth, however, Axel gave his arm a small nudge.

"Say thank you."

Roxas rolled his eyes before smiling at Dr. Baker. "Thanks, man. I owe you one."

"…" Dr. Martin opened his mouth to speak, but paused before continuing, "Don't you two worry about it, it's what I do. Anyhow," he added, clipping up the first aid kit, "I have to get back to the hospital to get screeched at. Here's my card if you guys need anything." Handing over a small business card, he stood up from the kitchen floor he knelt at and smiled at the two before exiting the house. All was quiet for a few moments before Axel breathed a small sigh of relief. Roxas looked over towards him, a questioning look on his face.

"Oh, no, it's nothing," the angel replied, rubbing the back of his head, "I'm just glad you're okay and stuff. It's like being wound up like a spring when I worry about you, and it's not a cherished feeling. Now," He patted the blonde's back, "you should be getting some rest." When Roxas didn't reply, he dragged his hand down his face. "C'mon, kid, you gotta get up. So you can walk to your bedroom to your bed. So you can sleep." When the blonde still remained stoic, Axel leaned over the blonde and waved a hand in front of his face. "Hellooo, earth to Roxa-..s… Roxas, what's up?"

The blonde frowned a little at the angel and lowered his head even more so. "I'm sorry. I've been being such a stubborn idiot this whole time and I've just been making it harder for you. I feel like such a burden now…" lowering his head enough so that his hair shrouded his eyes, Roxas glanced away from Axel quickly. It only made the redhead's eyes widen more in concern. What Roxas was doing now was a simple measure to hide his emotions, which in this case came in the form of tears which, despite the blonde's best efforts, caught the kitchen lights as they fell. Axel panicked. Roxas was an odd child. He suffered clinical depression since he was in grade two, and yet stopped taking medication for it when he was in grade four. That had often let spells of abnormal negativity set in at unpredictable times. Roxas tried his best to minimize such an occurrence happening in public by letting himself cry in the privacy of his room, but he had not done that for a while, which was why he was acting so strange. When Axel was in isolation for the later two years of Roxas' life, every time the little blonde broke down he would always tell himself that if he were there, he wouldn't say anything, but merely hug the Dependent until he calmed down. Now, he was at the moment to act, and realized it was a lot harder than it seemed to cheer a person up. What if Roxas didn't like to have personal contact when he was sad? What if he had to say something first? In a faltering, yet somehow encouraging way, the once-was angel knelt down to face Roxas. He gave a quirky sort of smile and slipped his hands over the student's shoulders.

"C'mon, don't talk like that! You sound like a cheesy soap opera or something."

"Because that's supposed to make me feel better." Roxas murmured, pulling his sleeves up past his wrists and rubbing his eyes. Though his face was hidden, you could hear the slight smile in his voice. Axel spared a moment to release a silent breath before scooting back a little to reply.

"But it's true! For heaven's sakes, your rant doesn't differ very much from something like, 'Oh, Jonathan, I'm terribly sorry; I've been such a _fool _all this time… I've just been making your life a tragedy." Axel pressed a hand to his heart and lowered his head dramatically. He smiled faintly when he heard a small snicker come from Roxas, and continued. "I feel like such a burden, even after your sister died because my husband's brother's grandchild shot her with her mother's uncle's nephew's BB gun. I can't live like this any longer; I know you've been sleeping with the coffee shop waitress' grandmother-in-law three times removed." Moving his hand up to his forehead, he played a swoon and plopped on his butt. Ignoring Roxas' little giggles, he continued. "I must leave you now, Jonathan, we were never meant to be in the first place." And with that, he brought two fingers to his head and pulled the trigger before collapsing to the floor, lolling his tongue out of his mouth and rolling his eyes back a little. Roxas couldn't keep in his laughter any longer and he let it out, doubling over a little bit. Axel sat up and joined in the laughter, continuing until his sides began to hurt. Roxas smiled a little. "S-so, maybe I was being a little eccentric."

"You think?" Axel stuck out his tongue and smiled a little at the blonde, looking him over. "You should keep that face; it suits you much better than the last one." His smile faltered a little, however, and he continued, "But oh, there's something wrong with it."

"What is it?" Roxas asked hesitantly, blinking bewildered blue eyes at his Guardian. There was something wrong with his face? Great self esteem booster there.

Axel hummed in his throat, tapping his index finger against his chin thoughtfully before smiling and reaching up to brush away the stray tears left on his Dependent's cheeks. "There, that's better." He gave Roxas' hair a gentle tousle and stood up, not noticing the small, grateful smile that donned the blonde's face briefly. "You said you wanted to go to sleep before, right? You seem pretty stuck on walking on your own, so I'll let you do that. I'll be in here if you need me, alright?"

"Mm, alright." Roxas gave a small, grateful nod, glad to be given permission to sleep. He was halfway out of the doorway of the kitchen before he paused mid-foot. "...Wait, why're you going to be in the kitchen…?" He eyed the angel suspiciously, who simply gave an innocent smile back.

"You know, just, cleaning, chilling…" The redhead gave a nonchalant shrug.

Roxas thought for a moment, staring at Axel warily before giving him a small nod. "Fine, just don't… blow anything up." The blonde warned, before limping his way back to his room, which was right across from the kitchen. He gave the door a small nudge with his shoulder to push it open before entering.

The walls were a dark ultramarine blue, with a simple white stripe bordering the perimeter of the bottom of the walls. A star-shaped lamp, dead as night, sat on a golden-beige wooden desk standing a couple of feet away from his bed, which was pushed up into a corner in the small, rectangular room. A single window was in the space between the bed and the desk, shrouded by dark blue curtains. There was a small, doorless closet behind the desk, packed halfway up with 'cleaned' messes. Beside the closet were a white dresser and armour, a few drawers pulled halfway out of their shelves. Roxas limped over to his bedside and turned on the star-shaped lamp, which cast a soft, golden glow on the interior of the bedroom. Without further hesitation, the blonde flopped down unceremoniously on the bed. A medium-sized dog with black, curly fur curled up on the other end of the bed perked up sleepily and blinked its auburn eyes before padding across the soft material of the bed and licking Roxas' arm, tail wagging slowly. The student opened one eye lazily and smiled at the little black bundle of fur before tousling the hair on the dog's head softly. "Hey Cowboy." The Havanese stretched back, as if taking a bow to its master, before curling up beside the blonde's torso. Reaching a hand over beside him, he fiddled with the curly locks adorning the dog's head. His mind was too all over the place to think about how the day went, but he couldn't go to sleep, so he reached over to his bedside and pulled out a book entitled "The great big book of fantastic failures" and began reading where he left off, which started at an article about the worst phrasebook. _Pedro Carolino is one of the all-time greats. In 1883 he wrote an English-Portuguese phrasebook despite having little or no command of the English language._ As his eyes scanned the words, they began to droop._ After a brief dedication, Carolino kicks off with some "Familiar Phrases" including: "Dress your hairs", "This hat go well, "Exculpate me_..._ by your brother's", and the_…_ well-known_…_ expression,_..._ "The_…_ dog_…_ than_…_ bark_…_ not_..._ bite." Carolino's… partic…ula…_

"Roxas… Hey, Roxas? Get up; I need to ask you something." His shoulder was jostled about softly, a gentle hand shaking him out of his sleep. His eyes met with blurred black splotches atop of a yellow background. Confused and bleary-eyed, he raised the book from his eyes to take a look at Axel. The room was a pitch-black, aside from the golden starlight on his desk. "Wuh'iz it?" He asked, the words pronounced on the tip of his tongue.

"Oh, nothing, nothing much… Um, but, just out of curiosity, Roxas, how do you put out a kitchen fire?"

"Why…?!" The blonde boy asked, perking up suddenly, his eyes now sharper than before. "Axel, what did you—" he took a sniff, his eyes widening a little. The air was heavier than normal, and had a sharp, thick scent to it. "You idiot!" kicking off the covers, he ran into the kitchen. It stunk sharply of melted plastic, and he put a hand up to his mouth. Surprisingly though, everything looked fine, aside from the stove, which's elements now sported some creamy white flakes, curling at the edges. "Axel, what did you do?!" the blonde nearly demanded, realizing the oven was still on and shutting it off.

"Funny story, actually…" Axel laughed sheepishly, stumbling into the kitchen scene. "You see, I tried cleaning the kitchen, which I did, and then I got bored, so I tried making supper…" He shook his finger back and forth, lowering his head with a smile as he continued. "You know, plastic bowls don't like ovens that much…"

"Good god, no duh." Roxas pressed a hand to his forehead, letting any leftover adrenaline pass. "Damn, Axel, if you want to cook something, let me know first so I can go over stuff with you!" He puffed up his cheeks and let out a puff of breath. "I guess it's pizza… Again…" reaching for a phone hooked on the wall, he dialled a number. "I'm glad mom and dad are watching some recital that my brothers are having."

Axel glanced around the kitchen meekly, feeling similar to a puppy who had recently been scolded. It wasn't like he meant to set the stove on fire; he just wanted to surprise Roxas. Plus, the diet that his Dependent was living off of was not the most balanced of diets in the world. Watching the blonde hang up the phone, he leaned against the fridge. "Sorry. I'm really stupid sometimes." He side-glanced the floor in an almost-fake forlorn manner, though part of him actually meant it.

Roxas let out yet another breath, pulling out a small 'grin and bear it' sort of smile. "Tell me when you're cooking next time."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

That evening, long after they had eaten, the two had stayed up until 11:32 p.m. waiting for Roxas' parents, before Axel had deemed that bedtime was nigh. Roxas protested, explaining that he waited like this all the time and Axel retorted with saying that was the very reason they were to go to bed. Unable to argue, Roxas reluctantly agreed to the suggestion, and since the room Axel was supposed to be staying in was being renovated, they had to share the twin-sized bed in Roxas' room. The blonde had tried to protest against that too, explaining that both of them wouldn't fit in a bed that small, but upon trying anyway, they found it was a close, but comfortable fit.

We enter the scene at 12:32 p.m. the following day, where Roxas and Axel were still sleeping. Roxas turned over a little in the redhead's arms, and opened his eyes. Then he wondered why he was in Axel's arms in the first place. Not finding it awkward, just a bit inconvenient, he nudged his Guardian awake. "Hey, Axel, you mind letting go please?"

The redhead in turn made no attempt to open his eyes, and instead pulled the blond closer until their foreheads were touching. "No, you're warm." He mumbled, a content smile on his face.

"Yes, but we can't always get what we want. Let go." Feeling a little more awkward, he attempted to push Axel away.

"But I don't want tooo!" Axel whined, half asleep, nuzzling the boy's cheek with his nose. "C'mon Ven, don't be so… Prudish." He murmured, pressing a small kiss to Roxas' cheek. Roxas' eyes widened a little and he made a disgusted face before it faded into confusion. Who was Ven?

"…Ven?… Axel, it's Roxas. Wake up." The blonde gave the angel's cheek a small pat. Axel's eyes slid open blankly, before they widened and he scrambled away, shocked. "Roxas! Don't scare me like that!"

"You were the one who was hugging me first!" the Dependent retorted, sitting up abruptly. Axel, too, sat up, and looked over the little blonde in confusion.

"…I…was?"

"Yeah, you did." Roxas crossed his arms. "Who's Ven?" he asked, both curious and a little suspicious. It was a given that Axel had a past previous to his new life, of course, but for some reason Roxas couldn't help but feel… jealous? But why?

Axel opened his mouth, but paused immediately. Who… WAS Ven…? The name definitely sounded familiar, but… he couldn't recall anything aside from a feeling akin to the one he felt around Roxas. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "…I really don't know, to be honest." He was quiet for a moment before shaking his head. "Anyway, we should probably tell your parents I'm here." He decided, climbing out of bed to leave a very confused Roxas. However, it wasn't like he could say anything against it; if you couldn't remember, you couldn't remember. Sighing a little and vaguely wondering why it was bothering him so much, he followed Axel down the hall.

His parents were sitting on the couch, both of which were hunched over laptops of their own. Roxas' father was a black-haired, six foot tall man with a beer belly stretching his shirt, though the slogan on his shirt stated otherwise (It's not a beer belly, it's an engine for a sex machine.) He wore clothes that were all black, and a weird sort of hat that looked like that of a train conductor's. Frankly, he looked like a rocker who had washed down the drain. He perked up at his son's presence and grinned. "Hey kiddo. Sleep okay?"

"Yeah, I'm all good. Where'd you guys go last night? We stayed up until eleven last night waiting for you." Roxas crossed his arms, looking unimpressed, but not angry.

"After the concert, the boys wanted to sleep over at their friends' house, and seeing as it was a weekend, we let them. Then I got an unexpected outcall, so we ended up coming back at twelve." Roxas' mother was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman whose hair fell to the middle of her back. It looked a little fried, as if it had been dyed too many times, and was parted halfway and slung over her shoulder. She wore a pale purple sweater and faded blue jeans, though her face was dolled up as if she were going to a wedding or a formal.

In response, Roxas gave a small nod. "Just phone next time, so we don't have to stay up all night." He perked up suddenly. "Oh yeah, by the way, this is Axel." He pulled the guardian up in front of the coffee table.

"Hi there," Roxas' mother greeted with a genial laughter, extending her hand to the tall teen in front of him. Axel smiled back and shook it, before turning to Roxas' father to hear what he had to say.

"So you're the kid who saved Rox, eh?" Axel gave a nod and a crooked smile, but said nothing else. "Awesome man, rock on." And thus the two would do as the youths of today would describe as "pounding it", a term which here means "to push one another's fists together in a sign of agreement or approval". Just to sound like Lemony Snicket there for a second.

"We can't thank you enough, Axel. Thank god you had been there." Roxas' mother bowed slightly, "It's also the reason we're allowing you to stay here."  
"It's very much appreciated. I've been living on the streets for a while now." Axel bowed back, something he had been accustomed to since his previous life. After a moment of standing in the middle of the living room awkwardly, the Guardian took a seat on the floor and crossed his legs. Roxas knelt down beside him and stuck one of his feet out.

"Speaking of which, Axel, how old are you?" Roxas' father questioned, looking over the bold persona that was Roxas' Guardian. "Twenty one?"

"Why does everyone guess that?" the redhead asked, more to himself, as he sighed with a slight smirk. "No, I'm seventeen."

"Really?" Roxas asked. Never before had age been a question that crossed his mind when it came to the redhead. He was still trying to get over the fact that this person was his guardian angel.

"Then this means we got another kid to enrol into school, don't we? High school, none the less." Roxas' dad gave a joking sigh. "That's another six thousand dollars out of our pocket."

"N-no, don't enrol me in High school," Axel gave his hands a quick wave of refusal, "I mean, I've been taught before, but all of the knowledge I've been taught is pretty well useless."

"Why is that?" Mrs. Hikari questioned with a cocked eyebrow, out of curiosity. She closed the top of her laptop and set it aside.

Axel rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well my mom home schooled me, but all of the information she had came from outdated textbooks. I probably only know up to grade nine."

Roxas' parents looked at each other before turning back to Axel. "You aren't just saying that to get into Roxas' class, are you?"

Axel paused with a small smile. "…Partially. But to be honest, I didn't do well in school, and I dropped out before I could get to high school. I don't want to dive into a world full of new concepts that I can't handle. Plus, it'd be less expensive for you."

"…Well… Are you sure you wouldn't be able to make it through high school? We don't want you getting teased to no end." Roxas' mother stated, clasping her hands together.

"I think I can handle that over failing in school." Axel replied. He was quiet for a second before perking up. "Thank you so much for putting me in school! I wish I could pay you back somehow, but I don't even have a job to do it! I know! I'll do all the housework, and I'll cook, and--" He was silenced with a hand raised by Roxas' father.

"Hey. You saved our kid; I think you've paid us enough."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

So life in general seemed to be turning up for Axel and Roxas. For Martin, however, he was not so lucky. At the moment, he was sitting in an employee lounge, fiddling with a Styrofoam cup of coffee in his hands while other doctors, sitting on various couches and sofas, stared at him. It was unnerving, especially since there was nothing to be said until the chief medical practitioner of the hospital entered.

The door behind Dr. Martin open and closed with a ceremonious 'click' and the doctor flinched. He was in deep water at the moment, and if he didn't play his words right, he was going to drown. In from the doorway stepped a tall, high-standing man. He wore a clean, white lab coat with a grey vest underneath and a light purple neck scarf under the collar of his shirt. A large, velvet-like, dark red cloth was draped around his shoulders in an almost excessive manner, but it suited him just fine. His facial features were sharp, but his eyes were gentle, though they were narrowed in what seemed to be anger. His long, pale blonde hair scarcely moved as he walked into the room, hands behind his back. He took a seat at a dark red armchair, and the present doctors in the room bowed their heads in respect. "Ansem."

"Apprentices." The man bowed back in equal respect, scratching his neatly bearded chin soon after. "I have heard of a disturbance occurring in my absence. Xehanort, would you please explain to me what has happened?"

Another doctor, sitting at the center of the couch right across from Martin, gave a humble nod, and, as he lowered his head, a small, barely noticeable smile crawled on his dark face. Brushing silver bangs out of his face, he sat up straight before beginning. "A patient was recently administered for what seemed to be a heart attack. It was discovered that he had no previous health problems to cause the unknown problem. But even more curious was the lack of side affects resulting after the operation. It was as if the patient hadn't had any health issue in the first place." Xehanort frowned, narrowing his harsh, ember eyes at Dr. Martin. "We found this suspicious, so we put him under private surveillance, and he--!" The doctor thrusted a finger at the offending doctor, "He had the nerve to discharge the patient without our permission!"

"There was nothing wrong with the patient!" Dr. Martin protested. "He had stuff to take care of in his life; he didn't need to wait around for you to say two months later that he was okay!"

"Xehanort. What have I told you about confining patients in the hospital when it isn't necessary?" Ansem asked in a stern tone of voice.

"The conditions were very different from that of a normal heart attack, Ansem." Another doctor, this one with long, stringy blonde hair parted at two ways on either side of his face, explained as he flipped over pages on a clipboard he was holding. "The subject, when brought into the operating room, was very close to cardiac arrest, and despite our best efforts, he stayed in limbo for exactly… eighty minutes before coming back out of it. It was almost as if the body had healed itself on its own, Ansem sir." He looked up from the clipboard, his jade green eyes staring indifferently through Dr. Martin. "We were hoping to keep him, to see if he could hold a new cure for heart attacks and the like."

"You didn't ask his permission for it." Martin retorted, crossing his arms. "He kept asking me when he was going to leave, or what was going on. It was horrible!"

"The degenerate was simply not listening when we explained," Xehanort brushed off one of his sleeves, as if Martin's retort had landed on his arm and he were shooing it away, "we had repeated it dozens of times."

"You did not!" Dr. Baker glared at him. "You didn't even talk to him!"

"You're irrational." Another white-coat muttered, crossing his arms. His dark blue hair hung over his right eye, swinging a little as he moved.

"Look who's talking."

"Inferior." Xehanort teased, a small smirk on his face.

Dr. Martin practically blew up. "Go back to university, you… you… _Intern_!"

"Oh. So _I'm_ the inexperienced one now?! That's it! You, me, in the alleyway, scalpel fight to the death!"

"Bring it on, grandpa!"

"It's Silver, not grey!"

"You're just in denial!"

"This is Madness!"

"Madness?! THIS, IS, SPAR—"

"**ENOUGH!**" Ansem bellowed. The room went silence. "Relinquish this foolish nonsense, the both of you!" The chief practitioner puffed. He took a small breath and exhaled, lowering his head a little before sitting up straight. "Xehanort. You had no right to refuse a patient an explanation. Therefore, you will be doing all the apprentices paperwork for the rest of the week."

"But Ansem sir, I—"

"I do not wish to hear your excuses. And you, Martin," Ansem added when he caught the smirk on the blonde's face, "you will help him."

"WHAT?!" The two doctors looked at each other incredulously, blubbering off excuses as to why they couldn't work together. The other four doctors in the room covered their mouths and withheld their snickering, while Ansem stood up. "Silence!" He commanded once again, and the two stopped mid-sentence. "You two will meet back here eleven tonight, I wish to speak with the two of you before you begin working. Dismissed."

The doctors filed out of the room, ending in Xehanort and Martin, whom were walking beside each other and murmuring to the other.

"Ingrate." Xehanort glared.

"Loser." Martin matched the expression.

"Brain trauma."

"Casualty inducer."

"Basket case."

"Teacher's pet."

"Fruit cake."

"Tooth fairy."

"…Wtf?"

* * *

Couldn't resist. xD So, a few things:

-"The great big book of fantastic failures" Is actually titled "The book of heroic failures". I took the excerpt straight from the book, and if I could find it in my rat's nest I'd find it for you and do some copyright information that you wouldn't really care about anyway. So What Roxas was reading was not written by me, and yes, that story is real.

Yeah, so this chapter was pretty dead. I suppose it just gives you all a small peek into the different characters' lives. I will often be switching between characters though, just to warn you. Next chapter is a lot more dramatic and stuff though, so don't worry about being bored to tears. THIS CHAPTER WAS A PAIN TO WRITE, I'M SO SORRY IT CAME OUT TERRIBLE X-X

I actually don't have anything else to add. Any reviews are loved and greatly appreciated. Also, a big thank-you to all my alerters, favoriters, and reviewers! You have no idea how much I appreciate them. TTwTT

-o/\o


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: So it's been 55 days since I made an update. How do I know? Why, because I'm amazing. That's how. I'm pretty sure I could spend fifteen minutes of your amazing lives telling you all why I'm so slow, but I will tell you this:

I started this chapter last Sunday.

I finished today.

There's fifteen pages.

I'M PATHETIC.

KSOUM. 8D Hope you'll enjoy this chapter! As well, if there's anything here that seems confusing, don't worry; anything you're confused about will be cleared up in the next chapter. And trust me, there's about ten things in this chapter that make no sense. Just ot brace you.

...

KGO! 8D

Chapter four: So don't be afraid to ask when you're down.

Axel was enrolled into school that following week. There were definitely some troubles getting in, as the schoolboard would only accept people who were sixteen, and because Axel had no birth certificate, his age was even more difficult to prove. When Roxas' parents tried to explain Axel's 'learning problems', the secretary told them to go find a special needs school.

Roxas' dad was very close to flipping desks.

Fortunately, the principal walked in at the precise moment. Mr. Strife decided to hold a schoolboard meeting to decide what to do, so later that following Thursday, the meeting was held. The schoolboard decided to accept Axel into the system, as long as he could pass an achievement test.

Axel passed with flying colors, surprisingly. Roxas was equally astonished.

"Hey, I had a whole fourteen years to myself. What was I supposed to do?" Axel defended while explaining. Roxas kept his mouth shut after that.

Regardless, Axel had made it into the school, same class as Roxas and everything, which was not much of a surprise since Roxas' parents asked for it. There were still things that made him stand out, aside from his age. The tattoos on his face were instantly frowned upon, and he was told to remove them. Axel tried to explain that his tattoos were as much a part of his being as his hair (Which was partially true; he was reborn with the marks on his face, but not with the ink under his skin. It was difficult to explain, even to Roxas, who simply brushed it off as a chance to rebel against the schoolboard.), but the teachers simply would not listen. In the end, he was told to cover them up with makeup, which, despite his best efforts in refusing, had to be played out. He also had to disguise his wings, usually as an attachment to a hoodie he always wore. It wasn't the best cover-up, but he was at a true loss as to what to do. Fortunately, he had no problems with other students and made a few choice friends. It didn't spare him from the torment of bullies, however, especially from Seifer and his gang. Then again, Seifer was an idiot, and no one really believed his threats unless he was using them towards a person he had something against.

Unfortunately, Seifer DID have something against Axel. Whether that was from hanging around with Roxas, or just because there was something irking about his personality, Seifer hated Axel. And he hated the redhead a lot.

Somehow though, Axel managed to keep out of his way for the majority of the first week in school. It had turned out that he was also not the only over-aged student enrolling. A sandy-haired, teal-eyed student named Demyx, who looked almost the same age as Axel himself. He was a music fanatic (with the ironic last name of Nocturne) who was attempting to start a band in the junior high environment. He was surprisingly good at math and social, but struggled in science and anything to do with visual arts. He was expectantly chipper, and a bit of a coward during gym, though he was never afraid to stand up for what he believed in, especially when it came to bullies.

Seifer made sure to knock that personality trait down a notch on the first week of school.

"Hey, it's not his fault he's like that!" Demyx had snapped, crossing his arms and glaring down at Seifer. The height difference wasn't large, but it was there. "That's like making fun of someone for being black!"

"Something tells me you're a faggot just like him." Seifer retorted with a smirk, turning away from the pale, brown haired brown eyed student cowering in the corner. "And do you know what I do with people like you?"

"Beat us to a pulp." Demyx replied, indifference lacing his voice. "You can beat me up all you want, but you have no right to beat on someone smaller than you!"

Seifer had simply started laughing. "Strong words there. Can you back them up?"

Well, let's just say that Demyx got a nauseating feeling whenever he took a look at Seifer. And as for the bully? Well, he got his second MP3 player that week.

What was more stunning about Demyx, however, was his close connection to a previously enrolled student named Sora, a boy with spiky chestnut hair and sky-blue eyes. He was almost always optimistic, keeping the bright side in sight even in pitch darkness. He was slightly over-confident, a tad naïve, but a great friend overall. He was good in language arts and science, but had problems with social and math, which was probably one of the many reasons he and Demyx had such a 'locked-at-the-hip' relationship. He was not one to start a fight, but not one to back down from one either. He was just as equally hated by Seifer, but could keep his own fists up against the blonde-haired thug, and was more than often sticking up for Demyx. Though they were friends, it was incredibly close, almost as if they had a mental connection. In fact, their relationship was that akin to Axel's and Roxas'.

But Axel and Roxas never paid much attention to the two, despite their similarities. Of course, Demyx and Sora were sometimes sprung up in conversation, but there was no reason to be suspicious about them until two weeks in school had passed, during one dull, sleepily warm afternoon during math class. Roxas was fighting the constant battle to pay attention to the board instead of… well, anything else, and was losing epically. Tapping his pencil against his lips, his eyes lingered among the many students in the room. Sora was fervently drawing an eye on the side of his paper, Seifer was busy meddling with his cell phone under the desk, and Axel was whispering at Roxas to pay attention, which Roxas spent no time listening to. Miss Gainsborough had asked a question, of which only Demyx raised his hand to answer. His single-tracked attention span made Roxas lock onto the sandy-haired teen, when he noticed it.

On his hand.

A pale, almost scar-like mark on the back of his right hand, in the shape of a curling-in heart. Behind it was one gentle-looking, majestic wing on the left side of the heart. Roxas took a look at the symbol on the back of his left hand quickly. Though they were different, the marking style was identical. Wheels turned in Roxas' mind before something clicked. He scribbled a small note on a piece of lined paper and nonchalantly handed it to Axel.

_Take a look at Demyx's right hand. _

Axel gave Roxas an incredulous look. "Is this your idea of getting me distracted?" He hissed, jokingly but still serious.

"Why would I ask you to do something that obscure if it didn't have a good reason?" Roxas whispered back in annoyance, staring at the board. Axel rolled his eyes and patted Roxas' head before frowning and scrutinizing Demyx's hand. His eyes widened and he glanced down at the back of his right hand. "It's similar," he whispered in astonishment, his wings twitching in excitement. Though Roxas didn't turn around, he nodded.

"Yeah, it is. Do you think Sora has the same symbol?"

Axel stared at him, confused for a moment, before his wings flared up in realization and anxiousness. A student side-glanced him, to see where the noise came from, and Axel deliberately rustled his papers in silent explanation. The student rolled their eyes before turning back to the front of the board. Axel took a quick look around before smacking the structure of the wings in scolding. He crossed his arms, and stared at Demyx and Sora with a frown on his face. "Only one way to find out."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

So, after school, the two attempted to get a closer look at Sora and Demyx, Roxas going to talk to Sora and Axel speaking with Demyx. The goal was to figure out if Sora had the same symbol. If he did, they would nonchalantly hint at things to see if Demyx and Sora were Guardians or Dependents. After Roxas got his things packed up from his locker, he made his way across the hall.

"Hey Sora." Roxas greeted the brown-haired teen at his locker, his things slung over his shoulder. Sora perked up in astonishment, turning about quickly to face the blonde. The boy was holding a brown jacket with black lining, which was, unfortunately, covering up both of Sora's hands. He smiled hesitantly, out of sincere confusion.

"Hey Roxas! Uh… is there something you want?"

Roxas gave a mirrored expression of Sora's. "What… makes you think that?' He asked, putting his hands behind his back and rocking on his heels subconsciously, though he was really trying to sneak a glance at Sora's hand, which was still obscured by the jacket in his hands. Sora shut his locker quickly with his right hand, which bore no symbol. Roxas stared, crestfallen, but wasn't about to give up, however; there was still the left hand.

"Well, you never talk to me. I don't think we've talked since grade seven…" Sora smiled a little, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, though his eyes held suspicion. People don't just randomly spring conversation up on a person that they haven't spoken to in two years…

"I know, that's why I'm talking to you now. How's life?" Roxas asked, hoping to distract Sora from the suspicious demeanour he was pulling off.

And so, this awkward conversation continued for another three minutes. In that span of time, Roxas learned that Sora had known Demyx since the summer. He also learned that Sora struggled in math just as much as Roxas did, and that they both excelled in language arts substantially. Though Roxas was a little more realistic in contrast to Sora's idealistic nature, the two were pretty similar. The next time someone mistook him for Sora or his brother, he would feel flattered.

"Say, have you met Axel yet?" Roxas mentioned with a small hint of a smile. Sora looked up from his backpack (which he was shuffling in) and shook his head.

"Isn't that the guy you're always attached to the hip with?" he asked, with a teasing smile on his face.

"Oh like I couldn't say the same for you and Demyx." Roxas rolled his eyes before grinning again. "C'mon, I'll introduce you!"

Axel, however, wasn't doing so well.

"Well I can't see why you'd want to hang out with me," Demyx stated with a frown, shuffling through the things in his locker, "I mean, you haven't talked to me before." He shut his locker, the mark on his right hand exposed. "I might be dense sometimes, but I'm not stupid. You want something from me." He ran his fingertips through the Mohawk standing up on his head, which fell into a mullet at the back of his head. Narrowing his eyes at Axel a little to analyze him, he continued. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you were in cahoots with Seifer's gang." After what had happened the first time he got tangled in Seifer's web, he didn't want to risk it again.

"Um, Seifer's pretty much ready to kill me and Roxas. I don't understand why you'd think I'd be working for him." Axel crossed his arms, his right hand also laid out in the open. Axel minorly suspected each other of hinting at what he was almost for certain of knowing at that moment, but mentioned nothing of it just in case he was wrong, for it would have been a tad obscure for a person to just go out in the open and say, 'so I'm a Guardian angel, how about you?! 8D' The redhead frowned. "I can't stand bullies."

Demyx's eyes drifted to Axel's hand for a second, his eyes lighting up a little, as if his favourite song were playing on the intercom. Axel gave notice to this action and a small smile quirked at his lips, but he quickly stifled the action as to make sure nothing arose more suspicion than he already had.

"Hm? What is it?" Axel asked, faking sincere curiosity as he watched Demyx stare at his hand. His wings folded against his back nonchalantly. Surprisingly, his wings' movements were so subtle, that few ever noticed their activity. On the rare occasion that someone did, he would rustle some papers nearby. Though the sound of his rustling wings in comparison to the paper were nothing alike, most students accepted the answer, and any who didn't were simply given a confused look.

"…Where'd you get that tattoo? It's wicked." Demyx exclaimed, though his eyes were dark. "The place I got mine, they make 'em for pairs. Whose does yours belong to?"

"Who do you think?" Axel murmured, a smile dancing on his lips. Demyx knew. "Roxie, of course. And I suppose yours belongs to Sora…?"

"Of course," Demyx smirked a little, "Though it was difficult trying to get him to even get into the shop." He crossed his arms, a knowing look in his eyes. The two analyzed each other before Axel continued with the conversation.

"Really? Roxas didn't really care. He's just scared it's going to get an infection or something." He rolled his eyes with a chuckle. Demyx laughed in reply. "Actually, now that I think about it, neither of us were really aware it was happening until it was over."

"Yeah, that was kinda us too, a spur of the moment sort of thing, y'know?"

"Hey Ax!"

The redhead turned around to face Roxas, who was tugging along an optimistic-looking Sora. "We're taking the bus together today!"

"Really? Say Demyx, d'you go the same way?" Axel asked, still smiling knowingly. Demyx in turn nodded, the same knowing smile laced on his face. Neither spoke a word, on the downside that the other wouldn't know what they were talking about.

"Yup! You?"

"Yeah. I live with the kid." Axel smiled, but not before getting a punch to the arm by Roxas. The Guardian's wings wilted against his back.

"You're not supposed to say stuff like that out loud!" He snapped, face flushed. "You make it sound like we're getting married!"

"Ow, sorry!" Axel whined, rubbing his arm. "Besides, you'd totally get married with me if I asked." He retorted with a smirk.

"Oh, do we get to come to the wedding?" Sora piped up, an eager look on his face.

Axel tapped his lip for a second before grinning, "Yeah, but you have to bring a gift. If it were me, I'd bring… An apple."

"You know what, don't start this game." Roxas shook his head, smacking Axel's arm before walking down the hall to the east doors. Sora and Axel looked at each other, shrugged, and ran ahead. Demyx frowned.

"Oh, so I don't even exist now? The nerve." He muttered jokingly before literally waltzing down the hall.

So, the pack of four exited the school, making their way to the bus stop slowly. They talked about many things, and soon found out that they were more alike than they let on.

"So, how did you end up meeting Roxas, anyway?" Demyx asked as they sat down on the back seats in the 135.

"Well, you know that car crash that happened a couple of weeks back?" Axel mentioned, "The one at JP?"

"Yeah, the one with the malfunctioned street lights? Yeah, keep talking."

"I saved him from getting run over." Axel replied with what looked like a boasting smile, ruffling Roxas' hair.

"Yeah, and then you almost died. Smooth move, exlax." Roxas crossed his arms and frowned at Axel.

"Woah! You're that guy from the hospital everyone was talking about!" Demyx exclaimed in awe, a smile ghosting on his lips. "That's cool. I met Sora by saving him too, actually. He was walking in an alley way one night coming home from his friends' house, and these guys came up and they were all, "hand over your money man!" and then—"

"And then I was all, 'Bitch, please.' And I put up my fists. Then they pulled out guns." Sora finished with a lame smile. "One of them clipped me on the shoulder. It hurt. A lot. I'm pretty sure they would have killed me if… If Demyx hadn't been wandering around like the idiot he is. Then he kicked their butts! And then he passed out."

"No, not yet," Demyx corrected, "There was this scary lady that exited from the shadows and tried to take Sora away. I managed to get him away, but she had a taser gun and basically killed me out before she ran off. I apparently stayed in limbo for ninety minutes after that before went back to life."

"It was really weird," Sora explained, "he was breathing, but his heart wasn't beating. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't leave him there, but I couldn't call anyone either 'cause I don't have a cell phone."

Demyx started laughing at that moment. "He tried to do artificial respiration, but I was already breathing so that didn't help. So he kinda just sat with me in the cold for an hour and a half."

"Dedicated?" Roxas questioned.

"No, simple minded." Demyx grinned.

Sora glared at the two. "Hey, I'm still here you know!"

"That's odd…" Axel murmured, "The same thing happened to me. Except it was eighty minutes, not ninety."

"Whoa." Demyx gawked. "That's really eerie."

Roxas glanced down at his shoes. "Yeah, really eerie…"

The long travel to where they lived had very few awkward silences. Surprisingly, Demyx and Sora lived at stadium station, which was one station away from Coliseum station. Axel and Roxas decided to walk with Demyx and Sora to their house, because they were so close anyway.

"—But even then, they don't stop, and it's just so annoying." Roxas concluded with a sigh, resting his forehead on Sora's shoulder. Sora in turn gave a small laugh.

"Oh doesn't your life just _suck._" The area they were walking in was pretty well isolated from all humanity. They were now crossing an empty lot, surrounded by tall, crumbling buildings. Axel bugged Demyx about how the area was supposedly 'not safe', but Demyx explained that they took this way all the time and that it was unexpectedly the safest way to travel, considering the area that Demyx and Sora lived in.

"Don't mind him, he whines all the time." Axel rolled his eyes, ruffling Roxas' spiked up hair. The blonde in turn smacked away his hands. Astonishingly, Roxas had taken Axel's advice to keep his hair like the way it turned out at the hospital. It was surprisingly easy to do, actually. Axel's hair, on the other hand, was unsurprisingly difficult. Today, he didn't even bother to porcupine his hair, and instead just tied it back, with a few spikes in the front. Roxas thought it looked better that way.

"Well I know how it feels," Sora defended, "I have siblings too. I'm actually just waiting for the day when I'll come home, and my house will be replaced with a pile of rubble."

"Oh, like you don't contribute to that mess." Demyx laughed, placing a hand on his hip as he walked. "You leave dishes and clothes all over the place!"

"H-Hey!" Sora squeaked in defence, "I only mess up my room! My siblings don't even bother to keep their mess in their room!" he crossed his arms and glared. Axel couldn't help but burst out laughing at the pug-like expression Sora now bore.

"So what are your laptop and your drawing stuff doing out in the living room then, huh?" Demyx challenged.

"...Shut up." Sora crossed his arms, pouting at the ground. His eyes quickly went from annoyed to confused, his walking slowing to a halt. He clicked his tongue against his mouth and frowned. "…The air tastes… dry."

"…What?" Roxas asked incredulously, rubbing his tongue against the roof of his mouth before his eyes widened a little. "You're right, it does. Like… there's static or something."

Demyx's eyes darkened. "God, not again, not with people around…" He murmured, turning to Axel and Roxas. "Get out of here, now."

"What?... But why…?!" Axel asked, his wings perking up stiffly in panic. Roxas' eyes widened a little in nervousness, shifting subtly closer to Axel's body.

"Don't ask why, just go! Sora, get over h--" Demyx was cut off by a rumbling in the ground. The sandy-haired blonde looked up at the sky, which had turned a dark grey.

"No time. Axel, Roxas, stay back." Axel opened his mouth, but Demyx continued. "No, you don't know what's going on. Sora, you sure you're ready for this?" He asked, turning to face the little brunette. Sora swallowed a lump in his throat before nodding. He grabbed Demyx's right hand with his left, which, not to Roxas' surprise, bore the same symbol as Demyx's. With symmetrical timing, they cried, "_Iunctum nostrum vires_!"

In a silvery-blue light, feathers burst out of Demyx's back and fell down to his lower back, forming two wings of the same length that were tinted a light blue. Sora outstretched his hand, a blade of sorts materializing in his right palm that looked like a giant key. Roxas couldn't help but gawk.

"So we were right…!" Axel cried, slinging his backpack down and trying to run back up to Demyx and Sora, but was blocked by an electrified barrier. He pulled his hands back with a cry of pain, the small jolts of electricity still running through his veins. "Demyx, what's going on?!"

"Don't worry about us! Just get out of here!" Demyx cried, his voice muffled by the barrier. Axel frowned a little. "No! We're not leaving you h—"

A cackle arose from the sky. The four looked up at the sky, just in time to see a bolt of lightning strike the ground in front of Demyx and Sora. The brown-haired Dependent stumbled and fell to the ground, only to be re-scooped up by the Mohawked Guardian.

"Oh, how cute. You actually thought you'd be able to escape, didn't you? Well, rest assured, boys, no one escapes Larxene the thunder demon." Demyx and Sora spun around, coming face-to-face with a blonde-haired woman in a black trench coat, with neon yellow scratches darting up the 'skirt' of the coat to the waist, caressing her form in what would be considered an attractive manner. The blonde smirked cruelly, taking a sharply-clicking step forward. Her shoulder-length hair stayed stagnant at her neck, but the two antennae-like strands that arched above and behind her skull swayed as she moved. Sora and Demyx backed up simultaneously. "What? You scared of me?"

"R-Run, run awa—" Demyx was about to take off running when Sora grabbed his sleeve. "As if! We're not afraid of facing you!" He snapped, Keyblade swung out to the side in battle.  
"We're not?" Demyx asked hesitantly, peeping open one eye. Sora nodded and smacked Demyx's arm.

"No, we're not!"

The black-clad woman smirked. "Good, then you won't mind me taking the first shot!" She cried, throwing out electrified yellow-and-blue kunai at the two. Sora gasped, rounded his Keyblade back, and thwacked away the smaller daggers, but not without suffering a small shock. He frowned. "Good shot, but you need to do better than that, Larxene!" He charged up towards the woman, blade reeled back. Larxene smirked, placing a hand on the blade and sending electricity through it, which reached Sora's hand in a split second. The brunette gave a cry, releasing the hilt of the weapon and clutching his burnt hand.

Demyx plucked away a soft blue feather from his wings and pointed it at Sora. "_Rememdium Pendeo_!" He shouted, worry crinkling his face. The brunette smiled a little, analyzing his slowly-healing hands before he ran back to Demyx. He scrutinized the thunder demon, who was giggling with her high-pitched voice. "We gotta douse her somehow." He murmured while passing.

"We can't! I've tried ice already; it just evaporates before it gets to her!" Demyx replied, backing up a little in front of his Dependent.

"Oh, give it up you two! Don't you realize you're no match for me?" Larxene cooed, striding over effortlessly. "You should just hand the kid over to me; it'll make things so much easier for you…"

"Never!" Demyx cried, throwing his arms out. "You'll have to go through me to get to him!"

Larxene rolled her lime green eyes. "Like that's going to be a challenge." She reeled back before charging into Demyx. Punch, strike, kick!, the blonde dealt a heavy combo to the torso of the Guardian, who fell down with the wind knocked out of him. Not bothering to analyze the body, she strode over to Sora and grabbed his wrist. The brunette panicked, trying to struggle away from the woman, but her grip was as stiff and cold as death. "Silly little boy, struggling's just going to make things worse!"

Roxas and Axel were watching hopelessly from the outside.

"It's a thunder demon, right? Which means that it can't take water, right?" Roxas asked, turning to Axel for help.

"Yeah, how'd you know that?" Axel asked, astonished.

"Pokémon."

Axel stared at him, deadpan for a moment before shaking his head. "We need to get her wet. It might not do much, but it'll keep her off them for a while." He frowned. "But I only know fire spells. I'm not sure there's even a water spell out there…"

His blonde Dependent frowned in worry, lowering his gaze to the ground. If he could only cast magic like Axel could… Suddenly, Roxas perked up. "Sora! Can you cast a spell?"

"What? No, only Guardians can do that!" Sora blurted out, trying to scramble away from Larxene, who just cackled. "You stupid child, you're not doing anything to help yourself." She cast a hand back and opened a black portal behind her, tendrils of darkness rising from it like wisps of smoke. Sora panicked, trying his best to skid away from her. He frowned before attempting to swing his blade at her. She simply took a hold of the metal object and passed a charge through the blade to the brunette. Sora dropped the Keyblade on instinct, left in great pain.

"Don't be so sure of that," Roxas stated, more to himself than anyone else, "It's just Latin!"

"It's more than that," Axel murmured, "As a mortal, you have to be willing to give up a large piece of energy to make the spell work. You also need to direct it at something, or the energy would have been lost."

"Crap…" Roxas frowned. There wasn't enough time... He perked up suddenly. The idea was impulsive, probably stupid, but Sora was about to get kidnapped! "Get ready to fight, Axel." He said finally, a mischievous smile

"What?" Axel frowned. "Wait, wait Roxas, what're you—"

"Hey, harpy!" Roxas snapped at Larxene. The woman turned around, her eyes glowing fiercely with anger. Roxas smirked, and continued. "Yeah, that's what I called you, you cow!" When her eyes glowed a deeper shade of green, he laughed, "What'cha gonna do about it, huh?!"

"Oh, I'll do something about it alright." She murmured with a twisted smile before vanishing. Roxas turned to look at Axel. "You need to melt the ice." He murmured, backing up a little, away from Axel.

"What?! What're you doing, Roxas?!" Axel asked, his tone dark and warning.

"Just trust me!" He shouted, anger amplifying his voice before a hand wrapped around his throat unexpectedly, cold and stiff. Larxene glared at the boy, her mouth twisted into a sick-looking grin. "Didn't anyone ever teach you to never insult a lady, little boy?" She cooed, pressing a kunai to his throat. Axel was about to jump in and help, but Roxas gave him a look of confidence.

Axel hesitantly nodded.

Roxas frowned to himself and sifted through his knowledge quickly. _If this doesn't work, I'm dead… _He shut his eyes softly. "…_congelo pluvial_!" Roxas called to the skies, eyes shut tightly in pain as exhaustion fell over his body. There was silence as Roxas slipped out of consciousness, drooping a little in Larxene's grip. The woman stared down at the blonde for a second before laughing, throwing her head back. "This kid makes me laugh. There isn't enough energy in twelve feathers, let alone a mortal's body to pull off that sort of spell!" She tossed Roxas away to the ground uselessly, dusting off her hands. She took a few steps towards Axel, when something on her shoulder fizzled away. She looked up at the sky to see snowflakes drifting from the clouds. She gasped, shocked.

"N-no! H-how…?!"

Axel couldn't help but take a few seconds to gawk at the sky like a turkey for a second before turning his attention to Roxas. _You need to melt the ice._ Axel nodded, determined, and plucked away two feathers. He tossed them in the air and blew them up a little higher before plucking another feather away and pointing it at the other two. "_Estus aer_!" The two feathers glowed a sunset yellow before dissolving away, the feather in his hand going a charcoal black. Axel pocketed the black feather before taking a few steps back, prepared to dodge any nasty attacks she had to throw at him.

As the snow fell, it began to melt, before turning into rain. Larxene turned to Axel, a furious look on her face, when a drop of water landed on her shoulder. "Ow!" She grabbed at her shoulder in pain, but more water kept falling from the sky. "Wh-what?! Y-you little snivelling rat!" She cried, staggering towards Axel as more of her being melted away with the water. "N-no! It can't end like this!" She cried, throwing out a punch towards Axel, but before it could make contact, she melted away permanently, black water falling to the pavement and draining away.

Axel drooped over, panting slightly in the rain from a lack of energy. He never had to spread a spell that far before. He frowned to himself at this thought. Roxas had to freeze the entire sky, who was he to complain?

Roxas.

Frantically, he dashed over to the fallen blonde, who was lying on the ground in a useless heap. He lifted the smaller blonde up off the ground and stared at him, breath held as he pried open one of the blonde's eyes. The pupils looked dilated, but aside from that and a quickened heart rate, he was breathing normally. Axel breathed a sigh of relief and hugged the blonde close to his chest. "Don't you _dare_ do that again, you hear?" he whispered, cradling the limp body against his shoulder. The Guardian's wings drooped a little in sadness.

"Axel! Roxas! You guys okay?" Sora called, Demyx following in panic.

"Yeah, I'm just kinda tired and he's kinda… Y'know, not awake." He smiled a little, wiping away the rain from the blonde's face. He was grateful for the water that fell, so no one could see him cry.

Wow, that sounded really emo.

Demyx and Sora caught up to the two, kneeling down to them. "Here, lemme take him." The sandy-blonde teen offered to take Roxas, but Axel just hugged him closer. "No. He's my responsibility." He murmured with a frown. "What's your name, anyway?" he asked suspiciously. "If you _are_ a Guardian, that is." He stood up, backing away from the two.

"Madidus Demyx Nocturne." He frowned, crossing his arms. "Why, who are you?"

Axel perked up. Madidus… he knew a Madidus once. They hung out all the time, that is, until Madidus got convicted for conspiracy. It had torn Axel up that his friend would dare try to even commit such a crime, so he never talked to his friend after that. When he found out his friend was sent to be a Guardian Angel, however, he cried his little eyes out. That was when something clicked.

This _was_ Madidus.

"…Madidus?! I knew I recognized that name!" Axel cried, placing Roxas down gently in Sora's arms before giving Demyx a hug. "It's me, Demyx! Aestus!"

"Aestus… Axel!" Demyx cried, flinging his arms around Axel's shoulders.

Sora stared at them in confusion, before staring down at Roxas. "You have a strong heart, you know." Sora whispered to the blonde, though no one could hear him. "I'm glad I have you for a friend. Maybe I could be as strong as you someday." He murmured with a smile, hugging the blonde close to his chest. There was one little-known detail about Sora; he was incredibly insecure about himself. No one really saw it, as he always had a smile on his face, but every time he said "I'm sorry, I'm stupid", he meant it as wholeheartedly as he would mean if he said, "Hi, my name's Sora." The only person who probably knew how insecure Sora was, was Demyx, and that was because he'd known Sora all his life.

In the midst of a sentence, Demyx perked up. "So it probably isn't all that good for Roxas to be sitting out in the rain."

"…Good point," Axel said slowly, smiling dumbly at his friend. Demyx nodded.

"Hey, we gotta get going now Sora." Demyx patted Sora's shoulder softly. Axel scooped Roxas up and put him up on his shoulder. Sora stood up, following the three through the rain.

"—But this is awesome! I can't believe there's someone else who's in the same boat as us! How long've you been like this?" Demyx asked, smiling brightly.

"Two weeks-ish." Axel smiled slightly. "You?"

"Since this summer."

"So you know more than I do, huh? What do you make of the situation?" He asked, crossing his arms.

Demyx bit his lip. "Well, as far as I or Zexion knows,"

"Who's Zexion?"

"You'll meet him someday. Anyway, as far as we know, a new era has begun. Hell is slowly starting to release its demons, attacking any and all Dependents to make the Guardians disappear, so they can take the Dependents and turn them into demons as well. We don't know why this is, but we're thinking that the ruler of hell is trying to overthrow the earth so it can target heaven and destroy it. Now, when the Guardians save their Dependents, most believe it ends there, and so it does. However, for the handful of those who are determined to stay alive, God grants them the choice to stay alive. In fact…" Demyx tapped his lip, "We're starting to believe the Grand Council deliberately framed some of the angels, just to send them to earth to fight for the mortals."

"I knew it! I didn't do anything wrong! And neither did you!" Axel exclaimed in relief. He paused. "So, wait a sec… How come they didn't just tell us to go fight?"

"I don't know yet. I'm sure we'll find out at some point." Demyx smiled a little. "But I do know that the Dependents become entirely different beings once they know we exist."

"What?" Sora questioned with a squeak to his voice. "Why didn't you tell me this until now?!"

"Because I wasn't entirely sure." Demyx replied, looking ahead, arms crossed. "I didn't understand why we had a mental connection after coming in contact with you; I just thought it was because I was special. But Roxas disproved all that." He explained, motioning to the unconscious teen resting against Axel's shoulder. "He was able to cast a spell that a mortal could waste all his life force on and have the spell executed only halfway. Roxas, however, was able to do a powerful spell while only giving up consciousness. Who knows how long it will be before he wakes up, but he's alive nevertheless. Which means you can cast spells, too." He smiled in conclusion at Sora, who frowned back.

"What? I don't mean to sound greedy or selfish or anything, but I don't want to get knocked out just to cast one measly spell. There _has_ to be a better way than that."

"Yeah, I'm not too cool on the idea of having Roxas half-kill himself every time he tries to defend himself." Axel murmured, hugging Roxas closer to his chest and stroking his hair, hoping to coax him awake. It didn't work as well as he wanted it to.

"I didn't say we were gonna do that!" Demyx defended, crossing his arms. "I may be dense, but I'm not stupid!" He frowned deeply.

"Yeah yeah, you just keep telling yourself that Dem." Sora patted Demyx's shoulder before walking ahead. Axel couldn't help but laugh.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

They eventually made it to Demyx's and Sora's house. It was a little, broken-looking two story house that looked better on the inside than the outside. Painted a chipped, cracked sky blue, the house seemed to fit the slightly scummy neighbourhood they were in. The way it looked, one would assume that the inside would be freezing. However, when the four of them made it into the building, they were hit with overwhelmingly cozy warmth. Axel sighed in relief, kicking off his shoes at the doorway. "Alright, where can I put this little guy?"

"Just set him down on the couch for now." Demyx replied, motioning at the living room. Axel nodded and laid the limp body on the couch, kneeling down to remove Roxas' shoes and placing them at the doorway. He sat down beside the little blonde and sighed. He felt as if he'd failed the blonde by letting him pass out. After all, he was supposed to be taking care of Roxas. _He _should be the one passed out, not the Dependent.

"Axel… Don't worry about it." Demyx consoled, petting the redhead's now-limp hair. "He's breathing, he's alive, and he made that decision voluntarily. It was his to make and his to enact. So don't worry about it."

Axel in turn gave a soft sigh, his wings drooping in agreement. "That woman… Larxene. You seemed to be expecting her. You've met her before?"

"Yep." Demyx gave a stern nod. "She was controlling those thieves to try and kill Sora off the time I saved him. She tried to take the chance to take Sora along with her when I was fading away. But I managed to get up and drain her energy before that happened. Before she left, she said something to me. She said, 'I'm gonna come back for your Dependent, and next time, you won't be around to save him.' I couldn't let him just… die. I couldn't." Demyx sighed forlornly. He perked up then, a mischievous grin on his face. "I couldn't let him die after all we knew about each other."

"Ah… Wait, what?" Axel frowned. "Demyx, what did you do?"

"I broke a rule," Demyx whispered, that smile still glued to his lips, "I was so tired of being ignored that when Sora had been twelve, I wrote him a letter on his desk. It took a great amount of energy to do so, but I managed. At first, Sora thought he was being stalked, but more and more I began to coax him into realizing who I was. We never truly met until the night I saved him."

"Wow, was I astonished then," Sora mentioned with a smile, sitting down beside the three, "I mean, he told me he was a rocker, but I didn't expect this. But it was one of the greatest moments of my life. Meeting him, I mean." Sora joined hands with Demyx and they stared at each other for a long time. Axel cleared his throat awkwardly.  
"Uh… Not that I'd have a… problem with it, but… are you two…err dating. . . ?"

Sora and Demyx stared at each other blankly before bursting out laughing.

"W-wheel were wondering, when you'd ask that," Sora sputtered with a dumb-looking grin, resting his head against Demyx's shoulder.  
"No, we're not," Demyx answered breathlessly, wiping at an eye, "We have our own love interests, trust me. But we're like, brothers. That'd be gross." He stuck out his tongue before another smirk worked at his face. "Why? Are you and Roxas dating?"

Axel's face flushed bright red. "N-no! No! No!" He paused. "… No!"

"No?"

"NO."

Demyx couldn't help but laugh. "It sure doesn't look like it."

Axel frowned and crossed his arms. "Hey, we might be a little bit hand-to-hand sometimes, but what do you expect? I'm his Guardian."

"Exactly." Demyx stated with a confident smile. "That's the same relationship me and Sora have. Guardian and Dependent. Closer than brothers, but nowhere near lovers." He paused. "Hey, that's a good line!" he exclaimed, grabbing a random notebook to scribble that down.

"Did we tell you we're starting a band?" Sora said with an explanative smile. "Demyx is a really good lyricist, and I play the drums, so we were all, 'What the heck, lets do a band!' but we still need members."

"I play bass," Axel blurted out before he could realize what he was saying. He covered his mouth and frowned. No, no he didn't… But it sure seemed like something he would do…

"What is it?" Sora asked, a puzzled look ghosting over his face. Axel smiled sheepishly in return.

"It doesn't matter. Don't worry 'bout it."

Sora smiled back again, all worries ceased from his face. "So you play bass huh? Cool, so does my dad! We have a bass in the basement if you want to try it."

"It's called a bass _guitar_, Sora." Demyx corrected in a snotty tone, not looking up from the note pad.

The brunette in turn smiled sheepishly, blinking bashful blue eyes. "Sorry, I'm stupid."

Demyx smacked Sora's leg. "Stop saying that."

"But I aaaaaam!" Sora drawled out in a whine, swaying onto Axel's shoulder. "I'm stupid, rite?" the brunette beamed up at Axel.

"Not… really, no. Just a little naïve sometimes." Axel ruffled Sora's chestnut-colored hair. Sora in turn smacked his hands away.

"No."

"So guys, what'd you think of this?" Demyx cleared his throat. "Just here to die for, someone to cry for, closer than brothers, nowhere near lovers. Keep up your playwright to stay in the spotlight, but when curtains fall down, we won't make a sound. Hold on your grudges and seek for their plunges to darkness and surely you'll die, but stay here and hope here, and I always will be here, to hold you and guide with my hands."

Axel took the notepad from him and reread the lyrics. "How… how long did it take you to write this?"

"Mm…. About five minutes." Demyx replied blankly, a smile of confidence on his face.

"He's fast." Sora confirmed the obvious.

"Well… For five minutes, this is pretty good, but it definitely needs more work, sorry." Axel handed the notebook back to Demyx, giving a lame shrug.

Demyx gawked at Axel for a moment, before getting down on his hands and knees. "You sir, are _God._" He paused. "Well no, you're not, but you give CC, so that's awesome!"

"CC means constructive criticism," Sora explained when Axel gave him a confused look.

"But you can at least understand it, right?" Demyx asked hopefully, staring up at Axel from the floor. The redhead gave a hesitant nod. "It's…. about us. Guardians, I mean. It's about a Guardian talking to his Dependent, right? Though it could also be a parent to a child, or a friend to a friend…" Axel tapped his lip. Demyx lit up.

"YUS! I _WIN_ at this game," Demyx cried triumphantly, shooting a fist in the air. It landed three meters behind him.

Axel stared the author weirdly before giving yet another sigh and staring at Roxas' limp figure on the couch. "Hey Sora, do you have any pyjamas that you could do without for today? He looks cold."

"Oh? Oh, yeah! Just wait one second!" Sora bounded up the stairs quickly, to fetch Roxas a pair of pyjamas.

"So, Satan is sending up demons, is he?" Axel crossed his arms. "He does that all the time, what makes you so sure that he's attacking?"

Demyx frowned in return, crossing his arms. "We've- that is, Zexy and I- have pinpointed a great number of the attacks in this city alone, and they've all been attacking the same group of people:"

"Guardians and their Dependents." Axel realized, his eyes widening a little. "Satan wants to outnumber us!"

"Yes, but here's the juicy part: The demons seem to not only be trying to be rid of the Guardians, but they seem to be kidnapping Dependents, too." Demyx crossed his arms. "We don't know why, but what we do know is that once they're kidnapped, they never come back. Which is why we can't have them have their nasty little mitts on our Dependents." Demyx concluded, grinning at Sora when he saw the boy bounding down the stairs.

"Here you go Axel, a fresh pair!" He threw them promptly at the redhead's face. Axel smiled in gratitude, but as he looked down at Roxas, his face grew a slight flush and he turned his head away.

"Aren't you going to go undress him…?" Demyx asked, cocking an eyebrow at Axel. The Guardian's face turned a darker shade.

"Wh-What? B-but he's my D-Dependent!" Axel cried, snapping his head towards Roxas and back at the two. "I-I can't do _that!_"

Demyx's face deadpanned. "You've got to be kidding me." He murmured, cocking an eyebrow at Axel. "He could get hypothermia, and you're worried about seeing him naked…? Get up there and change him now!" He commanded, standing upright and putting his hands on his hips.

"But what if he wakes up?!" Axel cried, "He'll kick me from here to Timbuck Two!"

"If he wakes up, he'll understand. Trust me." Demyx rolled his eyes.

And thus, Axel was set to the slightly embarrassing task of changing Roxas' clothes. It wasn't anything he hadn't seen before, but he was feeling it up close. It was quite an awkward time for him to sit through, but fortunately, Roxas was out cold, which left him with fewer odd feelings than he would have had Roxas been awake. At first, he tried to delicately pull away each article of clothing, but his clothes were so soaked from the rain, they would stay stuck to Roxas' skin in some of the most complicated of places. Eventually, Axel's uncomfortable attitude melted away when he discovered how cold Roxas' skin was. Now no longer paying any attention to the boy's body, he struggled to peel away Roxas' clothes in an efficient and quick manner. Plucking some towels on the rack in the washroom they were staying in, the Guardian gently towelled down the blonde's body, hugging him close afterwards in a feeble attempt to warm him up a little.

Afterwards, Axel wasted no time slipping on Sora's pyjamas over the quiet, unmoving frame. With the pants on, he set to work on the shirt.

"So, Axel, would you care to explain to me why, exactly, you were undressing me?" a groggy, but annoyed voice asked underneath the shirt halfway pulled over Roxas' head. A pair of pale, weak-looking hands popped the rest of the shirt over his head, revealing a pair of tired looking, half-lidded blue-teal eyes.

"This act is surprisingly more innocent than you might think," Axel began to explain, but Roxas stood up and glared down at him, stumbling a little. "Get out."

"But I—"

"Get ou-ooof--!" Roxas reeled back to deliver a kick to the Guardian, but lost balance and stumbled onto his companion's lap. Axel managed to catch him just in time, and frowned at the boy.

"You can't stand."

Roxas stared down at the turquoise tiles of the bathroom guiltily. "I'm sorry." He mumbled under his breath, knowing full well what sort of blasting he was going to get.

"What you did was stupid." Axel muttered sternly, forcing the blonde to look at him when the boy tried to turn away. "You could have killed yourself! You had no experience and spell casting, and if you did it wrong, you could have hurt yourself really badly, never mind going unconscious. You should be ashamed of yourself, Roxas, and I… I…" his harsh gaze on the blonde softened then, and he flung his arms around the boy. "I'm so glad you're okay." He whispered finally.

Roxas blinked blearily in confusion, wondering why he didn't receive a smack across the face by now. Though his movements were sluggish, he wrapped his arms around up to Axel's back, and returned the desperate embrace. "I'm so sorry, Axel... I-I didn't mean to make you worry. I just wanted to help." He mumbled, his words sounding strained, like he was trying to hold back tears. "I-I was just trying to help..." He repeated in a whisper, something in his voice cracking like a river dam, releasing an onslaught of sadness.

"Don't you _dare_ do something like that, ever again." Axel snapped, anger and depression hitching his voice a little as he hugged the blonde closer. "If you do, I'll… I'll… take away you television privileges." He announced in an authoritive tone.

"…I don't watch TV." Roxas mumbled, a smile peeking its way in his voice.

Axel paused. "Well then I'll just have to tickle you to death." He decided, a jokingly malicious tone in his voice.

Roxas frowned weakly, pressing his forehead against Axel's shoulder softly. "Not right now Axel, I'm too tired. I'll pass out on the first round." He murmured, snuggling in a little closer to Axel's much warmer body. "It's cold."

The Guardian gave a small nod. "C'mon, let's go get you warmed up." He mumbled in the blonde's ear, grateful for the drowsy, but noticeable nod. The redhead stood up, scooping the blue eyed boy up to his shoulder. The blonde didn't complain.

"Hey, Axel?" Roxas whispered finally, as the Guardian opened the door to the washroom.

"Yeah?" Axel replied quietly, unmoving.

Roxas' eyes slipped shut softly, a weak smile dancing on his lips. "…Your mom is a Tooth Fairy."

"…What?"

The fluff was fun to write. Though it's probably sickeningly dramatic. 8D

FUN FACTS:

Some more spells:

_Iunctum nostrum vires: _Unite our strength. No root towards it this time; this is a spell restricted strictly to the unleashing of two companions' powers. This is a spell that you will become familiar with.

_Rememdium Pendeo_: Cure the Dependent. The root is Rememdium. You should become familiar to this spell as well, if things go right.

_congelo pluvial: _Freeze the rain. Freeze is the root.

_Estus aer: _It shouldn't be too difficult to figure out this one. Heat the air is what it means, estus being the root.

_Madidus_: Demyx's surname. It means 'humid' or wet, the opposite towards Axel's surname.

...KGOREVIEW! 8D


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: SO I WAS TOTALLY RESPONSIBLE AND DID WHAT I SAID I WOULD! 8D -shot-  
It's December right now. I can't remember when I previously updated, but I'm sure people want to rip my eyes out now for not updating. Or not. But REGARDLESS! I'm hoping this will suffice as a christmas gift, but I will be writing a oneshot for christmas, so... Sparta.  
Well, this chapter was supposed to be more amazing than the last, but I failed. I actually don't like this chapter very much, I think I'm cramming too much action into one chapter. Constructive critisism is always welcome, and remember that CC does not mean 'flaming'. Well, enjoy!

Or at least try to!

* * *

Ch. 5: So now you know you're not alone,

"How is he?" Demyx asked in a hushed tone, watching the two bound down the stairs. He gave the two a hopeful gaze.

"I'm cold, wet, and tired." Roxas mumbled against Axel's shoulder, arms laced around Axel's neck so he wouldn't fall down, "I dunno, Demyx, how _am_ I?"

Demyx's hopeful hint of a smile broke out in a relieved smile. "You're awake!" He exclaimed, bounding over to the pair and circling them like an excited puppy. "I'm so glad you're okay!" He paused. "Wait… he _is_ okay, right?"

"Tired." Roxas repeated sullenly, eyes slipped shut.

"Yeah, he's good." Axel replied for the stubborn blonde, setting Roxas down on the couch softly and sitting down beside him, his arm around the boy's shoulder protectively. Roxas automatically slid in beside his Guardian, who was the only available source of heat. The redhead took a glance down at his Dependent, grinned in reassurance before pulling the blonde in a little closer.

Sora and Demyx exchanged glances, sharing a smile that one would wear before bursting out laughing, before looking back at the two.

"Axel, you're such a liar." Sora teased with a smirk.

"What?" Axel asked, confusion written on his face.

"Nevermind." Sora replied, still smiling, before shaking his head. "Anyhow, Roxas." He sat down on the other side of the blonde. He hesitated for a moment before frowning and crossing his arms at Axel. "You mind letting go of him for a second?"

"Oh?" Axel looked down, mildly surprised, before removing his arm. Roxas opened his mouth to ask questions, but Sora beat him to it with a thankful embrace.

"Thank you for saving me." He murmured with a smile before pulling away, hands still on Roxas' shoulders. "that was really risky of you to do, and I have to admit, I _am_ a little mad at you," he added when Roxas' façade began to turn cocky, "but I'm sure I can yell at you when you're not ready to fall asleep within five minutes, kay?"

"Oh goody." Roxas mumbled, not at _all_ using heavy sarcasm. What ever made you think that he'd be doing _that?_

"And I have to say, I'm pretty proud of you." Demyx mentioned, now that people were in the 'let's scold Roxas for being an impulsive ass but at the same time compliment him for the same reason' mood. "I mean, not many a mortal would be able to risk their lives to save someone else, especially someone that probably didn't matter much to them, not to sound offensive to either of you," he mentioned, when Sora and Roxas gave him appalled looks, "and despite that, you managed to cast a spell. But, there's one thing that's getting me…" Demyx leaned back in the sofa chair he was sitting in, "Why is it that you know how to cast a spell?"

"Oh, that?" Roxas asked in a still-drowsy tone, eyes half lidded. He gave a yawn. "Axel… he, lat'n classes in.. school, looked up it, and I knew, so then I did it."

Demyx gave Roxas a weird look. Sora gave the same expression. Axel just started laughing.

"He does this when he's really tired. He can compose sentences in his head, but only half of the sentences actually make it out coherently." The redhead pulled Roxas back into his arms, away from Sora, and started petting the now-limp blonde locks, twirling them in his pianist-like fingertips. "Don't worry about all that right now, kid. Just get some rest." He murmured in the boy's ear softly. Roxas frowned a little, though a smile could still be heard in his voice.

"Ih'z Roxas. Not kid."

"Shut up, okay? You need to be sleeping, not yapping." Axel hushed him, smacking the boy upside the head very, very lightly.

"You're mean."

"I know."

Roxas and Axel would have chanced staying at Sora's house, but there was school the following day. Besides that, Roxas' parents would worry sick over the little blonde, despite how irresponsible they sometimes were.

Not that it stopped them from worrying when Axel walked in at nine p.m., Roxas cradled against his shoulder like he had been for the majority of that evening.

"Where have you two been?!" Roxas' mother exclaimed, furious, when Axel entered. "Roxas, you know you're supposed to—"

"Shh," Axel pressed a fingertip to his lips, "He's asleep. We've both had a bad day today, and trust me, he's in for scolding tomorrow, but for now, he needs to sleep. Okay with you?" He asked, hitching Roxas up a little more so he wouldn't slip away. Roxas' mother, Roxanne (Gee, how'd they ever come up with a name like Roxas? It must have been so difficult.), hesitated for a moment before her furious attitude faltered. "I… suppose it will be fine… What happened?" she asked slowly, but didn't receive an answer, as Axel had already walked off to Roxas' room.

He laid down the boy on the bed, still in Sora's pyjamas. Aside from Roxas being an incredibly impulsive retard, Axel thought the worst part of the day was having to go home with a pyjama clad boy in his arms, on the _bus_. Though he didn't mind the stares he got, it was the people who shot rude remarks at him as he went home that ticked him off. Eventually, he got fed up and told them all off with some rather… nasty words, if you could put it that way, none of which he felt guilty about later on. This worried him a little, but when he thought back to what the people had said, he frowned to himself and shook his head. No one deserved that kind of treatment. No one.

_That was incredibly hypocritical, _Axel thought to himself with an even deeper frown, but still. He couldn't just sit back and take it. He just... wasn't in the _mood_ for all that 'forgive and forget' bullshit.

Despite this, he managed to get home without bashing someone's skull in, thankfully. Sitting down beside the blonde, he stared at the quiet, sleeping form before getting up and tucking him in under the blankets on his bed, making sure he wouldn't be too cold, before brushing some of the blonde hair away from Roxas' face and smiling gently. "Sweet dreams, kid." He murmured, quietly making his way out of the slightly cluttered bedroom.

After a few moments, Roxas flitted open his eyes and touched his forehead softly. "…It's Roxas, not Kid." He muttered with a jokingly annoyed pout, but said nothing more towards it.

Axel immediately set to work on gaining the status of the house before doing anything else. As per usual, the kitchen was horrendous, as was the basement, but the living room and hallways were surprisingly clean. The redheaded Guardian walked back into the living room, air rustling his wings softly as he did so. The wings seemed to pay no mind, however, and stayed content against the teen's back.

"So, what happened?" Roxanne asked, arms crossed. "It'd better've been important, too."

"Well," Axel started, sitting down on the floor in front of the coffee table, "In a nutshell, we went to a friend's house in stadium station, got attacked, Roxas got a concussion from a hit to the head, and we had to go to a clinic to get him checked up. He's fine, but he needs to sleep right now."

"And you didn't let us know?" Roxanne asked, a slight snap in her voice, as she fumbled with a cell phone in her hand.

Axel frowned, arms crossed. "It just didn't cross my mind until later, when we were on the bus," he replied in a sorry tone, staring down at the ground, "I was more concerned about getting Roxas home before anything, really."

Roxanne let out a tired sigh and stared down at her phone. "You're supposed to call next time, okay?"

Axel peeped open an eye, not expecting the calm reaction. He felt a ghost of a smile working at his lips, and he gave a nod.

"Did you at least call the police?"

Axel's smile faded away quickly. "…I don't… think it'd be necessary." He replied, words quick to his tongue and sounding just as truthful as a testimony, "The police will just tell me to fill out some application form and they'll never look back on it again."

"Good for you." Roxas' dad replied from the laptop he was working on, "You know your stuff, kid."

The redhead perked up suddenly as something important hit him. Axel stared at the floor, a worried look on his face. "You could say that again."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Guardian spells –enter-

Searching…

No results found. Try using less keywords.

Angel spells –enter-

Angel will be your virtual honey-bunny for 2.50 an hou— -BACKSPACEBACKSPACEBACKSPACE-

Guardian Angel spells –enter-

: The great book of all legends and mythical creatures. Anything from Angels to Zoras, this book has it all! Eating habits, behaviour, history, skills and magistry, and more! Recommended for only the most passionate in mythology, as this is an incredibly rare book and only 13 copies were created.

…

-double click-

Stock: 1

add to cart

add to wishlist

price: $106. 98 + shipping

"Uh, yeah, how about no." Axel muttered, shutting the internet window with a deep frown. "Not for that much money." He rubbed his temples, his brain metaphorically blank. It wasn't like he wasn't trying; he had been searching for two hours now, and no results.

"Well, I suppose that if a book exists, the library should have it," Axel reasoned, going to the Edmonton Public Library's website, and searching up the title.

Sorry, we do not have that book on stock.

Request book for stock

Try new search

-backspace-

"Okay, that's reasonable…" Axel murmured to himself, "Perhaps there's some sort of international library…?"

International library –enter

International library of foot funguses

International library of history

Is there some sort of international library? – Yahoo! Answers

"Well now I know there isn't one," Axel mumbled, slamming his head against the desk in Roxas' room. He was trying to search up new spells for him to learn, so the next time he and Roxas got ambushed by some sort of other demon, he would be slightly more prepared. As well, he wanted to know more about what, exactly, he had become. Sure, Demyx knew more about than he did, but it didn't mean Demyx was an expert. In fact, it seemed that this… 'Zexion' that Demyx was raving so much about, would be the expert on his situation. Despite this, however, he wanted to look up as much as he could so he didn't look like a total idiot in front of this person.

Also, he was incredibly impatient, even though he and Zexion were scheduled to meet that Friday. Or, at least that's what Demyx said. He really didn't know with Demyx; Madidus was known to be expectantly unreliable and uncertain about the general basis of everything. Which, probably shouldn't have been a good friend trait, but somehow Axel found himself drawn to the idiots. Like the one still dozing in the bed halfway across the room. Roxas mumbled something in his sleep and turned over, fingertips half-closed in a fist and resting just in front of his lips. There was something Axel found familiar about that image, and frowned in conclusion, before something clicked and he rolled his eyes. _Well duh, of course it's familiar; he sleeps like that all the time. Jeez, Axel, way to make mountains out of mole holes. _However, there was something about it that was… different this time. Still, Axel was a good little boy and chose to ignore it for sake of getting his research done, turning his curious eyes away from the obliviously sleeping away blonde.

It was about midnight by the time Roxas woke up again, only to leave the room soundlessly and return ten minutes later. Without so much as a 'Hi Axel', he flopped down on the bed and fell asleep. Axel stared at him, puzzled, before taking a glace at the clock on Roxas' computer and gave a sigh. He wanted to keep searching, but he didn't want to crack into his permanent strength. To gain temporary strength was easy; to gain permanent strength was near-impossible. And once permanent strength was gone, it was gone. Tough cookies, no second chances. Letting out an exhausted sigh, Axel shut down the laptop before standing up and peeling away his clothes. He didn't see a problem in it; Roxas was asleep, and they were both guys anyhow; it wasn't like they'd be seeing anything new. Slipping over the slightly baggy tank top he was lent, he finished changing and tossed his clothes in the laundry hamper in the hall. He stretched up, heels leaving the floor and arms behind his head, before throwing his lanky arms back down and sighing.

He stared at the boy sleeping soundlessly in the blue spread bed for a moment before creeping over, crawling ever so slowly over the mattress as to not stir the boy from his slumber. Slipping under the sheets as delicately as he could, he slid down beside Roxas and kept his body in an awkward stiffness for a few moments, checking to see if the blonde were to awaken. When he found no signs of disturbance, the redhead wrapped his arms around the tiny frame of his Dependent's. Roxas, still in sleep, snuggled back to the redhead's chest automatically to make room for his Guardian. At long last, Axel let his vibrant, glassy green eyes fall shut, feeling wiped out from the day's events and in dire need of sleep.

The world around him was bright and shimmering, almost misty in a way. However, he could see clearly ahead of him and his surroundings were just as so. The sky was a powder blue and the streets were a washed-out grey, almost as if he were standing in a watercolor painting. The grass was limited, but still bright, which made a large contrast to the pale background. His equally green eyes narrowed ahead of him, squinting not out of sight difficulty, but out of confusion at what was ahead of him.

Rosy pink lips curved up into a gentle smile, golden blonde locks of hair wisped at the sides of his cheeks as the wind blew. Something akin to wind chimes rang out faintly, probably a distance away.

_"Axel."_

…Who are you?

The smile faltered slightly, disappointment making his shoulders droop slightly. _"You were always one to forget the important stuff…"_

I know.

_"My name is…"  
_Axel's eyes narrowed a little more, out of worry this time. He knew this person…

What is it? Tell me, I want to know.

_"It doesn't matter right now." _ His slightly faltered smile faded even more so, and he took a step forward. Axel peered at him cautiously, but did not move as the boy drew nearer. He tilted his head to try and get a good view of the boy's face, but it was hidden by those sun-tinted blonde locks of his.

_"I miss you, Axel. Please come back to me." _

I wish I could see you too.

In return, the boy elicited a small chuckle. _"Silly Firelight, you don't even remember my name." _ Still, the teen inched closer, their bodies not even a breath apart. Axel was overwhelmed with the sudden urge to grab hold of the blonde, and he slid his arms down to the boy's waist. A small smile made its way across the blonde's lips in return.

I know you.

_"Then who am I?" _ The boy asked, that same smile dancing across his lips, his eyes never facing Axel's. _"Remember, Firelight." _

Axel's flicked open abruptly, the dream coming to a close. He became aware of his surroundings immediately: the twilight shining through the curtains of the window, his little blonde curled up beside him, the country music playing in the background… Roxas probably had woken up and gotten paranoid, so he turned on a radio. Axel surprisingly didn't mind country music; after having to sit through it night after night for fourteen years, he had come to appreciate the blunt lyrics and southern accents. And don't forget the old chevies. Regardless, it was early, and there was no point in staying up. With a sigh, the teenager laid back down against the bed and shut his eyes, letting his body fall lax into a quick sleep.

Not even minutes after Axel fell back asleep, Roxas' eyelids fluttered open, revealing the twilight blue air to his vision. He glanced over at Axel, silent as he could, before slipping delicately out of the sheets as to not disturb the Guardian. He knew he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep; why waste that time just lying there? Roxas tiptoed across the wooden floor to the doorway, putting on a pair of checker slippers before padding out into the hall to make his way to the kitchen.

The first thing he noticed about it was that the room was cold. Now grateful for the slippers on his feet, he made his way across the now-icy plastic tiles and turned on the light switch.

"Ah, now that makes sense," He whispered to himself, relief washing over him as he realized it was simply a window open. As he went to shut it, something sharp and smooth made him draw back his foot from the floor in curiosity. He glanced down at the floor, his eyes widening only slightly at the window screen that met his vision. He picked it up cautiously, slipping it back into the open window, and shutting it with slight uneasiness. Someone might have broken in. Feeling like he was being watched, he shuffled over to the counters and began to go through their contents, oblivious to the fact that people don't normally break and enter to steal toaster ovens. The boy was about to turn around and run to living room to inspect, when his fingertips brushed against something foreign. Confused, and irked out of his uneasy behaviour, he examined the object before delicately picking it up, as if it were made of sand or ash that would crumble in his fingertips. The blonde stared at the yellowed, torn-up scroll for a lengthy period of time before cautiously unravelling it. The paper smelt of fire and something akin to ash and oil.

_My Dearest One,  
Since our first encounter, I am counting the days and nights until our paths meet once again. At first, I envisioned eternity as a never ending torture, doing the same mundane occupation and avoiding the same mundane obstacles and circumstances, imperative to do so though they might have been. I had felt, for a very long time, that none could come close to holding a candle towards my misunderstood feelings. I avoided affection and communication like the black plague of the Dark Ages, which, I might regretfully add, I witnessed with my own eyes. But then, fate became surprisingly ironic, and brought me to you.  
You became my Sunshine after that. Though our interaction was short and did not end as well as I hoped it would, your small shred of optimism and empathy became my shining star against the blackest night. You continue to stand this way in my eternal existence, and I only wish you were on good terms with me once more so you could stand that way by my side as well.  
However.  
You must know that, despite my view on you, that I will not desist on claiming you for my own. My mercy for you is little, and I will not hesitate to get what belongs to me, even if it means to be rid of your mortal status. This being said, I have written you this letter as a warning of sorts, despite the fact that it will most likely do little to nothing to assist you, as after the writing of this letter is complete, my duty will not alter, and the fact of the matter is that you will be in my hands long before this week is over.  
Unless, of course, you have a sort of deal in mind to make with me. But, as that tale-as-old-as-time phrase goes, "Never make a deal with the devil.". I suppose you are smart enough to take this into consideration. But, if you are anything akin to me, you will not believe such superstitions, correct? It is your decision alone, my Sunshine, and your options are as clear as day: _

_Either you fall into my hands by force,_

_Or you make me change my mind._

_If I do not receive a reply from you by sundown, I will assume you wish to play my game the harder way. If you are smart— and I am hoping that you are— you will write back to me and replace the letter outside, tied to your front porch with this letter attached. Yet again, if you are smarter still, you will not show this letter to your Guardian, parents, or friends. If it is seen by any eyes but your own if you have seen it first, rest assured I will know. And the consequences I administer do not stray far from that my Master administers to traitors. _

_You have been warned, my Sunshine._

_p.s._

_I apologize about the screen, by the way; I couldn't seem to slip it back into the window. Blame it on your brothers or something. _

Roxas looked up from the handwritten text, eyes blank. The letter didn't need to be signed for him to know who, exactly, the bearer of the letter was. The little blonde's mind was swimming with mixed thoughts. On the one hand, he was relieved that he was correct: Riku _did_ have a soul, and he _did_ have a conscience. However, to know that Riku had gotten into his house was enough to put him on edge, let alone the blatant threats he had received in the letter. Not to mention the fact that he couldn't show the letter to anyone else. He didn't believe that Riku would actually know if someone saw his letter aside from Roxas, but then again, Riku did not seem like someone who would throw empty threats around. He seemed too impatient for that. And, really, it wasn't like he was given much of a choice; he either had to try and take on the demon, or he had to make a deal with the silver-haired teen. Tiptoeing across the floor to the living room, he had just enough time to pack up the letter in his backpack when he felt the presence of someone else lingering around in the room. He stood up, turned around and came face to face with Axel. Startled, he stumbled back a few steps with a gasp. The redhead couldn't help but laugh.

"You scared me," Roxas finally explained with a shuddery sigh, pressing a hand to his forehead. Axel crossed his arms in amusement.

"What're you doing up so early, anyway?" The redhead asked, eyeing the boy with minor, joking suspicion. Roxas sat down on the couch and rested his forehead against the back of it. "I couldn't sleep." He explained in a dull tone, closing his eyes. That was way too close.

Emerald eyes narrowed slightly at the blonde for a lingering moment, his mind still fogged by the previous night's dream, before he sat down beside the blonde. "Well, it's six in the morning. We have an hour and a half to do nothing. What'd you wanna do?"

Roxas' eyes slipped open for a moment before falling shut again. He hummed thoughtfully, the sound low and melodious, before replying, "Mm… Nothing."

"…Nothing?" Axel repeated inquiringly, running a hand through his clumsily styled hair and staring at the blonde, who would normally have something more productive in mind.

"Nothing." Roxas repeated conclusively, pulling his feet up onto the couch, eyes remaining closed. Axel glanced down at his Dependent, slipped a confused arm around the boy's shoulders, and shifted a tad closer. "Alright then, we'll do nothing."

Roxas allowed his shoulders to relax, but his mind was in utter chaos. When would he find the time to reply to Riku's letter without Axel becoming suspicious? What if he accidentally took a glance at the scroll? He didn't want to know what sort of punishment Riku had in mind for him, if he even _had _a punishment in mind for the boy, which he didn't doubt. As these thoughts swirled and remade themselves in the teen's mind, Roxas couldn't help but feel himself doze off in a troubled sleep. Perhaps if he slept on it, everything would become clearer when he woke up.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Oh god I have such a fucking headache," the singer whispered under his breath, rubbing his temples beneath his blonde bangs, eyebrows set down against his eyes in pain. Chains and metal accessories clinked on his outfit as he paced, trying to drown out the roar of the excited crowd. Toronto's people were certainly very loud, and it wasn't helping him.

"Well then pop some asprin or something, I don't know." The stage manager rolled his eyes, "Stop your whining. You're here to play and I'm not cancelling just because you have a headache. You're on in ten anyway, brat." Tapping the teen's arm with a clipboard, the burly stage manager moved onward to make sure the instruments were ready to go for the main act. The singer shot a sharp, weary glare at the backside of the stage manager and sat down on a rickety wooden crate nearby.

"Why do I even do this anymore?" he murmured hopelessly, feeling akin to a caged animal. Rubbing at icy blue eyes, he drew his knees up to his chest, the platform combat boots he was wearing making the angle a little difficult to deal with and pressed his eyes against the fluffy, black Lolita-style dress he was wearing, taking in shuddering breaths to try and calm down.

"Wow, that guy seems to have a stick up his ass, yo." Another band member sat down beside the blonde, with fiery red hair and silver-blue eyes. A pair of pilot's goggles worked as a sort of headband and pushed the feathery strands of hair out of his eyes. The rest of his hair was tied in a thin pony tail that fell down to his lower back. Shredded black jeans and a half-buttoned black dress top added to his look, rips up the side stitched up with blood red ribbon in a criss-cross pattern. "He needs to get laid."

"Shut your face." The blonde muttered into the black material, eyes shut softly. He was tired, hungry, and cold. Everything hurt. He was hounded by the media 24/7, and if he didn't look his best, gossip columns on how he was on drugs or something just as ridiculous bloomed like algae in a sewage-polluted pond. He always felt empty inside, on edge, and couldn't stand to look at himself anymore.

Oh, the glory of being a rock star.

"Glad to see _you're_ in a chipper mood." The redhead muttered sarcastically, sliding his fingertips down to the blonde's shoulders, working his lanky fingertips into the tense muscles. The bassist smiled affectionately as he felt the singer's shoulders relax in his grip. "I know your not in the best mood today. Heck, no one here seems to be very happy, but… let's just, try to enjoy it, alright? What is it that you always tell us… Get lost in the music?"

"Yeah." The singer cracked a thin smile, raising his head a slight bit, before his frown faded. "Pretend the crowd doesn't exist. Easy for you to say; I'm expected to say something to them. And lord knows, half that crowd is going to be shouting stuff about what I'm wearing." He looked down at his dress, a little frustrated. The bassist was quiet for a moment before he burst out laughing. The blonde in turn shot a not-amused glare at the redhead. "What?"

"You." The other pressed an affectionate kiss against the teen's forehead. "You're freaking out over _nothing,_ kid. This is the millennium, not the renaissance, yo. The girls are all over you. And the boys?" He pressed his mouth against his wrist, hiding a small smirk before continuing. "Well, let's just say you've become _quite_ the idol."

"I guess so."

"Oi! The band's ended early, you're on!"

"WHAT?!" the singer snapped his head up abruptly. "THAT ISN'T FAIR!" He snapped up on his feet and marched over towards the stage manager. "You can't do that, we're not ready yet!"

"Don't give me that bullshit! You've had a whole hour to get ready!" The stage manager snapped back, his large belly puffed up in an authoritive state in his grimy blue overalls. "Either you get out there, or we make you!"

"Don't argue with him, yo." The singer's companion came up to the blonde and pressed his hand against the teen's shoulder in warning. "He's got us on a contract, remember that."

"I don't care!" The singer barked, sticking to his guns. "You said we were on in ten, and we'll be on in ten!"

"Get on that stage now or you're fired!" The stage manager roared. The singer fell silent. A calm demeanour slowly ebbed over him.

"…Fine then, we'll get on stage. I'm terribly sorry for causing so much trouble." The singer bowed his head, his spiky hair not losing shape from its windswept effect. He walked past quietly, allowing his companion to pass him. The stage manager grinned at them triumphantly, feeling quite powerful. The singer stopped suddenly, as if remembering something important, but didn't turn around. "Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes?" The stage manager crossed his arms, a disgusting smirk on his face, expecting more apologies.

What he didn't expect was for the singer to whirl around, lunging a well-delivered punch across the man's nose. A sickening crack was heard and the stage manager cried out, hands clasped to his face in pain as blood dripped through past his fingertips. The singer remained silent and instead gave a ruthless kick to the man's crotch. He smirked, watching the man double over to the ground.

The blonde knelt down to face the stage manager, and in a low tone, he added, "If you _dare_ treat me with such disrespect ever again I will make sure you feel pain beyond comprehension, and trust me when I say I'm not exaggerating. Kay?" the singer gave a cheeky smile and patted the man's cheek sarcastically, getting up from the floor and walking towards the stage, the chanting crowd demanding his presence.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

For Roxas, attempting to reply to the letter without using it for reference was like chewing tin foil, but he managed. By the end of the day, he had a finished copy of the letter, clear of any misconceptions or loopholes, which, Roxas knew, was where demons excelled in their work the highest. After they came home, Roxas informed Axel that he was to clean up the front yard and his Guardian seemed to take it, hook line and sinker. After the redhead entered the house, Roxas took a moment to reread what he had written out.

_Dear Riku,_

_First off, that's kinda creepy. I'm glad that I have given you a slightly shinier outlook on… whatever you refer to as your existence, but you really need to back off metaphorically. You did try to kill me, after all, and that isn't a very appealing friend trait, so I ask you to stop referring to me as 'Sunshine'. _

_Secondly, you're right. I know not to make 'deals with the devil'. But, really, you haven't given me much of a choice; either I make a deal, or you get to have your way with me. That's not very polite. Then again, I don't think you shine that much in politeness. But, see, this is where I hit a snag: I have nothing to offer you, and I'm afraid that if I do, you'll twist my words around and you'll have it in writing, so despite my more rational judgement, I think it would be best if you confronted me with this issue on neutral terms, preferably sometime tomorrow when Axel won't be around. And when I say neutral, I mean that you will come to me under the condition that you won't hurt me, or anyone else that I do or do not know in any way shape or form, or destroy things in general. And if you do, then I promise you I will make you feel more pain than you would think a mortal could deliver. _

_~Roxas_

"Well that's a bold threat, coming from you." A voice mentioned in amusement, just a breadth away from Roxas' ear. He turned around, startled, but the snow-haired teen didn't seemed phased by this reaction and continued, "Very well, I will abide to your conditions, as long as you abide to mine." Riku didn't look anything like a demon at the moment, and was in fact wearing the same attire as he was when he had met Roxas the first time.

"And what," Roxas asked, pausing to inhale a breath as he regained his footing, about three feet from the demon, "Are your conditions?" He eyed Riku suspiciously, the autumn breeze kissing his cheek and leaving a frigid sensation. Leaves tumbled about as if lighter than air, and just about as unacknowledged as well.

Riku remained calm as he spoke, "That despite whatever happens today, that a deal is made and that you will not break it." He let his hands slide up to his hips, a challenging smirk on his face.

"Why, that all depends on the deal made. As well, agreeing to conditions does not count as a deal." Roxas informed him, arms crossed with narrow eyes. Riku stared at the blonde for a moment before bursting out laughing, his silver hair shivering as he doubled over slightly in mirth.

"Smart boy, smart boy. You know your stuff." The demon laughed in return, his cat-like eyes glimmering naturally in the autumn light. "My second condition is that we discuss this somewhere more private."

"Alright," Roxas thoughtlessly let out, before covering his mouth in realization of a mistake. He opened his mouth to add to his statement, but Riku cut him off with a victorious cackle, grabbing the boy's wrist and tugging him along. Roxas was snapped back to reality almost immediately, his first instinct to pull away. His struggles were effortless at Riku's strength, so much that the teenager didn't have enough force to try and sit on the ground like a stubborn child, which, normally bought him a surprisingly large amount of time. Riku's nails seemed to burn into his skin, holding him fast to his body as he proclaimed,

"Too late, Sunshine! You agreed without terms!" The demon wasted no time opening a portal, dragging the struggling Roxas quickly in case that disgusting slave to the Lord tried to swoop in and save the day. The blonde only had the time to shout half of Axel's name, before he was cut off by the purple-black, flame licked portal. And I should probably mention something about a tooth fairy, but really, where would it fit?

…Oh.

Well I just solved my problem.

Err… yes. Act devastated for me.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Five days? Wow, that was pretty quick. No that's a lie. It's been more than FOUR MONTHS.

;w; I'm so sorry you guys. I'm such a terrible author.

Well anyway, this is the sixth chapter. WOOHOO! -flails arms- It's not a very good sixth chapter of course, but... That's fine I guess? ;w;'' I'm having difficulty with something though: A fanfiction shouldn't be following the seasons in real time, right? That's entirely ridiculous. However, I've heard from others that it's ridiculous to not do so. What's your opinion on this? Ahh, what else... The next chapter is a lttle more... 'move the plot' ish, if that makes sense. I may start to have to bump up my page quota to fifteen instead of ten now. I'm starting to believe I'm going too into-detail with some things. I've also noticed Sora isn't getting as much attention as his characteristics require. I'll have to improve on this. Uh...There's a lot of confusing holes and foreshadowing from this point on. The plot was built this way so don't worry if something seems missing, because most likely, it's supposed to be.

Hopefully I won't forget my twists and turns like last time. c:

A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING FOR REVIEWING LAST TIME:

**NinjaOftheDarkness:** You've been recruiting people? -sparkly teary eyes of joy- You don't have to do that but it is CERTAINLY a much appreciated effort. BAWWW, if I could hug you I so totally would!  
**Haninozuka Mitsukuni:** I would first like to tell you your name is incredibly long and difficult to remember. xD Secondly, I know! ;-; I wouldn't just leave you guys hanging though, believe me. If I ever had to discontinue this story, I would at LEAST have the decency to summarize an ending!  
**Shinrai Yogensha: **I hate it when people do that! ;w;' I wouldn't leave you with a cliff hanger though. That wouldn't be fair.  
**DreamCloud704:** You were probably one of my most polite reviewers :3 If I had a nickle for every time you said please, well, I'd have 30 cents. 8D  
**SarahXxUnlovedxX:** Thank you sweetheart. *bows* I hope this chapter satisfies your inner fangirl!  
**Vixen's Shadow: **Your review pleases me immensely. c: You haven't seen plot yet. It's not even that far in! Well I hope I can continue to catch your interest, person who uses large words. ... I mean um... yeah. I totally knew what satire meant. Shh.  
**Pyrokinetic Axel: **I shall, my fellow Canadian! -salutes-  
**GunniWolf: **Short and sweet and to the point. 8D I always appreciate your reviews m'dear, just thought I'd let you know~  
**InsaneCat6: **Oh, I'm having quite the ball doing this story too. c: The spells are fun to come up with, albiet a little all over the place. xD  
**Lucia-Luce: **ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY REVIEWED-REVIEWED -sobs in joy- Thank you. It was quite fun writing that part. c: As for the tooth fairy thing.... I don't quite remember how that came to be. xD I think it was a cop-out so I didn't have to worry about coming up with good endings for chapters. xD  
**The Emerald Shapeshifter: **You read this every day? Serious? ;W; I hope I'm not disappointing. I'm probably going to have to watch out for loopholes in the writing more often now though, hey? -laughs-  
**KonekoKitsune33: **The word "cheerleader" brings darling little images to my mind. `w` -suggestive clicking- I'm glad you think I'm so good at this! It truely means more than you could imagine. c: I hope I continue to kindle your interest. C:  
**Ldrmas:** Well aren't you a demanding fangirl? ;D Well then, here you are!  
**Kaida Shade: **KAIDA SHADE YOU NINJA YOU. OHOHO.

ONCE AGAIN, A HUGE HUGE HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO REVIEWED, ALERTED, AND FAVORITED. -showers with praise-

P.S.

BORING CHAPTER IS BORING. JE TRES APOLOGETIQUE. D:

* * *

Chapter six: Why are you just sitting around?

The last thing Roxas could recall was an overwhelming darkness, and then, a feeling of nothing.

_A feeling of nothing? Wow, that's an oxymoron in itself. _Roxas pressed his hand against his forehead at his own stupidity. He felt as if opening his eyes would hurt a lot, so he did not, and instead felt around for his previous captor. "Riku?" He asked, voice cracking in panic. He waited.

Pure silence.

"Riku?! Riku!" He cried, managing to squint his eyes open a little against a very bright sun.

"Oh, I'm sorry, is it too bright?" A voice asked around him. Roxas felt ahead of him blindly.

"Riku, where are you?" He asked, a panicked tone in his voice. "Where are we?"

"Just wait a moment, Sunshine. I gotta change this." And with that, the overwhelming brightness dimmed down to a cool, summer evening. Roxas was finally able to open his eyes fully, and was surprised with the sight that met his eyes.

They were in an endless field, hills rolling all the way to the edge of the sky. There were no trees, the largest obstructions being boulders the size of table chairs. Brown dirt paths meandered atop the hills, curving and curling like a piece of ribbon twisting in the wind. The grass was tall and weightless, brushing themselves affectionate butterfly kisses as the breeze moved through them. The sky glittered with newborn stars, though it wasn't pitch black yet, and instead a royal blue. Breath-taken, Roxas couldn't help but feel very small. He backed up a few steps and finally settled down on a patch of dirt.

"You like it, then?" Riku asked with a smile, stepping up to Roxas. He was in a different outfit than before, much more normal, but at the same time, so very odd. A pair of baggy blue jeans that sagged down so you could see his boxers, despite the presence of his metal-studded belt, with oversized pockets. He wore a black, double-zipped undershirt, with a white vest that had yellow flaps. The zippers on everything looked oversized, and Roxas knew they probably weren't commercially sold. He wore a white, baggy arm warmer on his left arm, which hung slack at his side when he walked for some reason.

"Yeah, I do. What's with the new change in clothes?" Roxas asked with a suspicious frown. Riku grinned, amused.

"Why, I should be asking _you_ the same thing." The platinum-haired demon gestured to the smaller blonde. Roxas glanced down and immediately stumbled up, twisting around to try and get a better view of himself. He was wearing a tee-sleeved cream jacket that had checkered stripes going around the sleeves and across the chest, with a red corduroy collar. Like Riku, he too had a sleeveless black zip-up undershirt, aside from the pronged X charm attached to his zipper pulley. The pair of charcoal shorts he was wearing were covered up by longer, beige leggings that made it look like he was wearing pants instead.

"What's going on here? Where IS here?" Roxas asked, looking around the almost abyss-like field. Riku in turn tapped his lip.

"You don't mind me being cryptic, do you?"

"As long as I get an answer."

"Well, you're Roxas, I'm Riku, and we're Here." Roxas in turn gave Riku a deadpan look.

"Well that's great. Thank you for telling me things I already know. Why are we dressed differently? Where's my house?" He asked again.

"We're dressed differently because now we're us. I'm not Riku the Demon. You're not Roxas the Dependent. You're just Roxas, and I'm just Riku. See?" Riku picked up his bangs, in gesture for Roxas to look at his eyes. Roxas was mildly surprised to notice that Riku's eyes were no longer cat-like. His pupil was normal, they didn't shine unnaturally, and instead of being a sharp aquamarine, they were a watered-down grey teal. In return, Riku took Roxas' left hand and flipped it over. He took the right hand, and flipped it over. There was no symbol.

"We're just us." He repeated. "And your house? Your house isn't a part of this place. I can't explain it quite yet because you don't know enough about your own predicament, but we _are_ somewhere safe. This is a place where evil can't reach."

"Then why are you here?" Roxas crossed his arms, the hint of a smirk on his lips.

"Pfsh, I dunno." Riku rolled his eyes in his "I don't really care" manner, shrugging the thought off. "Maybe I'm just that damn special, hm?" He blinked twice before shaking his head. "Not the point, we're here to make a deal, correct?"

"Yes." Roxas replied, relieved that Riku had taken him somewhere safe instead of tricking him. Either Riku had a sick sense of humor, or he was just as strong-hearted as Roxas thought he was. Maybe it was a little bit of both. Roxas wouldn't doubt this; despite what Axel said, Riku didn't seem as bad as the redhead was making him sound. Actually, he was quite the gentleman. If only he wasn't in a demon, or he wasn't a Dependent, things would be so different. _Wow, that sounded very Romeo-Juliet,_ Roxas realized, sitting down on the ground as he didn't like standing up for prolonged periods of time. Wow, I could have just said, 'He sat down because he was tired of standing', but where's the fun in that? Riku decided to join him, because, really, it's awkward when you're the only one standing out of your friends.

"So…"

"So what…?" Riku asked, giving Roxas an 'I don't know what you're talking about' look. Roxas' firm expression faltered slightly, and he let out a sigh.

"What do you want for a deal?"

Riku paused, thinking over his options with an obnoxiously fake hum, before replying, "Tell me what you have to offer."

"Yeah, but that's the thing; I don't have anything to offer you. What do you want? I could give you my bike, or my Oblivion platinum track, or…." He faltered in his speech, something dawning upon him. He stayed silent for a moment before realizing, "…You don't care about material things…" He stared warily at Riku's dark looking grin as he spoke, "….Do you."

"No." Riku growled out in a deep, demon like voice. Roxas replied with a horrified look. Riku broke out in a fit of laughter, laughing harder still when the other blonde backhanded the boy's arm.

Roxas in turn resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He was, after all, still playing a part in Riku's little game. "Quit stalling and tell me what you want from me." He felt as if he were simply going around in mindless circles; if Riku asked him what the blonde thought the demon wanted one more time, he could almost have enough nerve to punch him out. As the cool, soft wind threaded through the tall, stringy grass, it conjured a sound that sent shivers down the blonde's neck. It was a huge reminder of how small he truly was in that place.  
Riku tapped his lips, his watered-down teal eyes flitting this way and that in hesitant thought. It was almost as if he were trying to decide what to say next. Not much longer after this, however, he replied. "Well... although I'm an all-powerful demon that could get pretty well whatever I want physical wise with a snap of the fingers, obtaining information comes as a struggle for me because of my appearance, disposition and familiarity with my sources." His eyes met up with Roxas' cadet-blue eyes for a response.  
"So what does that mean to me?" Roxas inquired, having a feeling of what Riku wanted from him. He could feel his heart rate increase slightly as he waited for the demon's answer, unaware that his kidnapper was finding pleasure in his uneasiness.

"Be my partner, Roxas." It felt like such a powerful statement, and it hit the Dependent like a ton of bricks. Whatever friendly, easy-going feelings he was slowly building up shattered, the illusion of positive atmosphere dissipating and revealing the severity of the situation. The blonde frowned, a creeping sense of guilt and threat crawling over him like wasps. This felt all wrong...! As he slowly stood up and backed away from Riku, his head shaking slowly in an almost petrified manner, Riku must have caught onto the blonde's hesitation.  
"I can handle the dirty work myself. I just need you to ask some people some questions, look up some dates, stuff like that. I'm not asking for much, in comparison to what I'm giving up." Riku sounded a bit annoyed at the last phrase, as if Roxas owed him the world.

Roxas stopped in his tracks. Riku had a point. "... A-and... And none of this... none of this will lead to me having to... kill people?" He almost stuttered on the final words; the thought alone was so terrifying by itself. He was only fourteen, for crying out loud!  
"Of course not!" Riku assured sincerely, stepping up to the blonde haired teen and cupping the dependent's face up in his hands to face his own, "I wouldn't spoil your pretty little soul with something like _that_!" His thumb gently glided across the student's soft cheek as he spoke.

A little more than weirded out by the strange actions Riku was presenting, the blonde backed off a little from his captor and continued, " And... and you won't harm Axel..." He scrutinized Riku's face curiously, "...Right?"  
_Again with that damn angel. _Riku was quiet for a moment, pursing his lips in hesitation before finally nodding. ". . . Fine. I won't harm your Guardian. But in the event you betray me in any way, I will gladly partake in your and Axel's demise."  
"Of course."

Riku's serious facade switched to a usual devious one. Roxas took note that this was simply his casual face and that he hardly ever saw Riku with sincere happiness written on him. Then again, he had only seen Riku twice so far.

"So then," The demon stretched out his hand to Roxas, his fingers seeming to unfold at a painfully slow pace, "Do we have a deal?" A cock to the side and narrowing of the eyes influenced by a cocky smirk. Roxas hesitantly brought his hand against Riku's, his fingertips gently clasping around the other's surprisingly warm hand.

"We have a deal."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It had been about two weeks since the incident, and Roxas so far had not been contacted by Riku a second time. He began to wonder if Riku's need for him was very minimal. In fact, Roxas would even dare to say that Riku had only made that deal just to not have to harm the blonde. However, he wasn't taking any chances. Aside from that, he had other things on his mind, such as the meeting with the famous 'Zexion', a person in which Demyx felt the need to bring up in everyday conversation at least every twenty five minutes. It turned out that Zexion was a very busy man; studying to become some sort of holy thing that Roxas never really bothered remembering, or helping people with complicated issues were his two main occupations in life most of the time, so he was rarely free in the first place. For good reason, however, Demyx wanted to spend the entire day with the apprentice holy man, and thus, he had to have his previous meeting plans cancelled a few times. And today was the day when the y were finally to meet with him, no excuses or exceptions. Roxas kept squirming in his seat, anxiously attempting to solve the answer for '2a squared minus 12 plus 3x divided by 2 equals ?". Frustrated, he rested his forehead against his paper and sighed, glaring awkwardly at the blurred paper under his head as he did so.

_a minus 6 plus 1.5x. _

Roxas perked up suddenly at the newly-thought answer and quickly scribbled it down, feeling rather proud and smart before moving on to yet another brain cell zapping problem.

Roxas, however, was not the only one anticipating the bell to ring. Though he found amusement in giving Roxas answers to questions he was stuck on, Axel was still incredibly bored out of his mind, and thus, found something else to think about in hopes of distracting his mind. As he pondered, his thoughts wandering around aimlessly like a woman at the grocery store, his wings flapped very quietly against his back, the sound of it hushed enough to not disrupt anyone around him. The redhead's mind traced itself back up to a vague dream that had occurred almost two weeks ago. Though the thought was now nothing more than a simple chain of fragmented memory, he couldn't help but think back to the blonde haired boy that was such an important part of his mind.

_"Silly firelight, you don't even remember my name_!" The boy's voice had sounded warm and soft and green, like a hazy May afternoon. And this time, the Guardian didn't think that was his angelic poetry sense kicking in. There were no correct words to describe how much he enjoyed hearing that voice, no thoughts or memories that could come even close to the real thing's beauty. Still, he couldn't help but feel as though he'd heard that voice somewhere else... in crisp, dark tones with a swell of feeling and song. Still the same voice of course, but it sounded different than the one from his dream. The source of the voice enticed and intrigued him, and as he struggled to find this hidden, refined copy, the bell rang, making him jump halfway out of his seat in surprise. He let out a small breath of relief, letting his eyes fall half-lidded as he put his textbooks and things in a small pile. As he continued to think, another event that had occurred previously was brought to mind: one of the first times he ever woke up with Roxas in his arms, the blonde claimed that Axel was calling him Ven in his sleep. Axel couldn't help but wonder: was this the name of the boy with the voice like summer evenings?

Okay, maybe that one was influenced by his angel-poetry instinct.

Regardless, this didn't change the fact that he now had a name to tag onto the boy that plagued his mind so. "Ven..." he murmured it on his tongue softly, liking the way it sounded. Yeah, that did sound right to the kid in his dream... He felt a sort of sense of pride in figuring this out. In fact, he felt so proud of himself, he wanted to let the kid from his dream know abut it. But wait a second...

Dreams couldn't just be revisited whenever one pleased. How silly of him, to think that he could just whisk himself away to that boy, to let him know that he did in fact remember. That wasn't how it worked. In fact... Most dreams were often never visited a second time. What made him think he would miraculously go back to the same one he had before?

He didn't know. But somehow, he felt he could go back to the boy when he felt like he needed to. And today, he needed to.

So, now he had two great things to look forward to today! Hooray! And though the 'hooray' and exclamation points were unnecessary, he still felt excited. Such excitement was shared with his companions, Demyx showing it the most by slamming his hands down on Axel's desk suddenly, lifting his feet off the ground by pressing his hands on the hard surface. "Today's the day!" he exclaimed in a, for a lack of better description, very Chuck Norris-y tone, staring down at the other Guardian with a "Let's go on an epic journey!" expression.

"I know, right?!" Axel retorted back in a very similar tone, repeating the slamming of the hands on the desk and pushing himself out of his seat. The two Guardians had an intense stare down, their gazes held with forced seriousness before the two burst out laughing. Roxas stared at the two Guardians for a moment, shook his had, and proceeded to put his books and such into his bags.

"Hey, Roxie." Said blonde perked up and turned his head sharply to the speaker, a dark gleam in his dark eyes. Electricity seemed to flicker in the background as he spoke.

"Don't call me that, Sora." The brunette simply laughed, and instead ruffled the blonde's hair, claiming the nickname was cute.

It seemed as though the brunette had a death wish.

Roxas trembled with slight anger for a moment, before he let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, that's fine and dandy. I really don't care if you use it, so long as Axel doesn't hear it."  
"Doesn't hear what?" The redhead inquired suddenly, crouching down a little and sliding his hands down Roxas' shoulders to deliberately make him feel uncomfortable. The blonde, now aware of this tactic but still not quite used to it, let out a sigh and stood up, shooting a glare down at his brunette counterpart.

"Don't you dare."  
Yep, Sora had a death wish.

"Well, I came up with the _cutest_ little nickname for Roxas over here," he started with a playful grin. Roxas shook his head with a smile, seeming surprisingly calm.

"Fine, go ahead and say it. I don't care."  
Looking a little deterred, Sora hesitated for a moment, considering if it would still irk the blonde. Roxas' smirk turned confident, but quickly faded when Axel grinned down at the brunette, his tone mischievous as he reassured, "Oh, don't worry. He cares alright." He ignored the flabbergasted and infuriated look Roxas gave him and continued, "So go on, what is it?"  
"Roxie." The nickname was like the final blow to Roxas. He flopped down onto his knees, defeated. He knew what was going to come next.

"Oh, like in Chicago?" Aaaand there it was. Demyx could have left it alone. He could have ignored it. But no! He had to say it. And knowing him, he was probably going to-- "'The name on everyone's lips is gonna be,"

--...sing. The mulleted once-angel swung his arms over and pointed at Axel and Sora.

"Roxie." The other two chimed in.

"Oh good lord." The blonde moaned, covering his ears and groaning. Their entire group was probably going to sing Chicago reference all the way to Zexion's place.

"Alright boys, you've hung out in here long enough. Go home." Their math teacher, Aerith, stated as she walked back into the classroom briskly. "Go on, shoo, you little flock of pigeons!" She whisked her hands at them in an ushering manner, gently herding the four out of her classroom. "Don't you four have places to be? You were talking about them all day." She put her hands on her hips, a smile on her lips as she spoke.

"Well we would have, but Captain Dawdle over here kept us waiting." Demyx jutted his thumb down at Roxas. The little blonde snapped his head up.

"Hey! I wasn't the one singing Chicago songs!"  
"Oh, because of your name?" Aerith laughed, reaching through to the doorway to teasingly pinch at her student's cheek, wiggling it slightly as she did so. "Roxie, right? That's such a cute nickname."  
"Oh not you too!" Roxas slapped his teacher's hands away playfully, despite his whining tone. "Please don't call me that when Seifer's gang is around. I'll never hear the end of it!"

"Oh don't worry, I won't. He picks on you poor kids enough already." She glanced down the emptying halls as she spoke. "It's a shame Seifer's father made such a large donation towards the school. Otherwise, he would have been expelled." She sighed. "There's not much we can do aside from keeping you kids away from him."

"We know." Axel nodded slightly. "We can take care of ourselves, don't you worry." The redhead smiled slightly. Aerith smiled back, relieved.

"I have faith in that. Just don't beat him out too badly." Her smile turned a little devious. Axel shook his head quickly.

"Of course not! Unless he leaves a mark on one of these three," he motioned his head to the three of his friends, "I'm not even gonna touch him. Why go down to his level?"

Aerith smiled. "Good. You have no idea how many kids look up to you kids. You're great role models."  
"Thank you." The four said simply, all too used to that compliment now. It was something they were quite proud of for being, considering they didn't even need to try hard to become that. They just needed to be themselves. As the air grew silent, Demyx looked down at his watch. His eyes nearly bulged out of his face.

"Oh crap, we're gonna be late!" He exclaimed in a panicked tone, his eyes wide with hysteria. "We're never gonna make it in time!"  
"Why?" Sora looked up at his Guardian. "How much time do we have? I'm sure if we hurry, we can—"

"Half an hour."  
"...Yeah we're screwed."  
Demyx grabbed the sides of his hair, stepping around in a worried circle as he spoke, "Ohhhhh, we can't afford to wait for another appointment...! If we don't make this one, we'll have to wait another two months! It could be too late by then!"  
By automatic instinct, the entire group grew uneasy. No one knew what to say. As Demyx grew more fidgety, it became apparent how true his words were. Already, the group had been attacked by a minor fleet of demons in the past two weeks; if they waited any longer, it could be possible that the battle they may or may not have been fighting would be impossible to win. Waiting even a week could potentially spell disaster. The group members looked around uneasily, trying to pull a solution out of mid air. But nothing was coming to mind. It was the clearing of the teacher's throat that made them stop whatever they were doing, which was, well, not really anything.

"Where are you boys supposed to be heading?" she asked carefully, wondering what, exactly, the four were freaking out about.

Roxas looked up at Axel hesitantly, motioning his head for the redhead to speak. Unable to remain self-aware, he spoke quickly, his wings fluttering up a storm as he explained, "Well, some stuff is going on and its pretty bad so we need someone's help to see if we can do anything about it, but he's a really busy holy guy-thing and he's always helping people and we've already had to cancel with him twice to get a meeting with him, and his waiting list is like this big," he spread out his arms as wide as they could go, his wings repeating the action as well, "so if we don't show up now, he's going to make us wait like, two months, and if we wait that long it could already be too late, so like... I don't know." He lowered his head, his wings drooping a little. "I don't know what to do. Why do you ask?"  
Their teacher had to stare at her student for a very long time before she could answer, her eyes cautious as she said, "Well... considering how bad this situation sounds.... I can possibly give you boys a ride to this place." The four picked up hopefully as she continued, "but you four need to be my classroom hands for a week. Does this sound like a fair trade?"  
"Of course!" The four exclaimed quickly, standing upright with bright smiles on their faces. Aerith grabbed her burgundy flannel jacket, a smile on her face.

"Alright, let's go then."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Well boys, here you are," Aerith announced, pulling up to the house in question. They were ten minutes early. She puffed out a small breath, her chestnut hair falling a little into her face as she smiled. "You sure you don't need me to walk you four to the door?" Her tone grew playful and teasing.

"I think we'll be alright," Axel replied for the group, his casual looking confident enough to quell Aerith's supposed fears. Their teacher nodded in return, the four of them piling out of the slate minivan quickly. She rolled down a window and leaned out of it, having a few more things to say to them.

"I'm not coming back to pick up you three, you know." She stated, her eyes looking over the four. "I can trust you're all capable of getting home, right?"  
"Mmhm." The group replied in unison. Aerith smiled back.

"That's great. But if something ends up going wrong..." She wrote down her cell number on a card quickly and transferred it to them through the window, "Phone me, and I'll come get you. Okay?"  
"Okay, thank you!" The group once again replied in unison. The brunette teacher gave them one last encouraging smile, before rolling up the window and pulling off the curb.

The four teenagers stared at each other for a moment before they all released an audible sigh.

"We really can't push our luck like that," Demyx murmured shakily, "If she wasn't there, we would have failed. What if something like that isn't there the next time we're in distress?"

"Well..." Sora started quietly, before a small smile crept across his lips. He looked up a little, slipping his fingertips around his Guardian's arm encouragingly and giving it an awkward sort of squish-hug. "That's why were here, right? So we can be prepared if those moments come up."

"..." Demyx's worried facade slowly melted, revealing a relieved smile. The mulleted blonde knelt down and scooped Sora up in a hug. "...You're right. Thanks, kid." He pulled away, arm around the brunette's shoulder, as they walked up the steps. Roxas awkwardly cleared his throat and involuntarily looked at Axel, somehow expecting him to do the same thing. Axel, however, simply perked up and followed the other two.

Roxas couldn't help but feel as though he'd been brushed off. Badly. He then mentally smacked himself for seeming selfish; Axel was his Guardian. That didn't mean he had to be cuddly and nice like Demyx. What was he getting all whiny about? Shaking his head at his own stupidity, he followed the other three up the path.

The stone pathway led through a black metal gate that curled up in all sorts of strange designs. From that point on, trees draped their path, golden and amber flakes speckling the goldening grass. It looked rather peaceful and sheltered, what with the tall shrubs surrounding the fence and house. At the same time though, it also felt ominous and generally creepy. Roxas picked up in speed a little, trailing behind Axel quickly like a lost puppy. His fingertips slipped around Axel's wrist hesitantly as he looked around uneasily. "This place gives me the creeps," he murmured in an almost fearful tone, not looking at his Guardian a he spoke. The redhead perked up at the sudden contact, glancing down at the nervous Roxas, before wrapping his arm around the teen's shoulder comfortingly. Feeling a little more at ease, but still wary, the blonde leaned in to Axel's side in what would be depicted as a shy manner.

This moment didn't last for very long though, as they soon reached the house's doorway. The exterior looked something like a cottage, with white 'stone' walls, windows with shutters and sills on them, and a burgundy shingled roof. Demyx shifted his feet slightly for a moment before he rang the doorbell.

"Come in and take a seat. I'm still busy." A voice replied, though it wasn't called out from the inside of the house, but instead broadcasted through a small intercom on the doorway. Demyx gave an unsteady shrug before pulling the yellowy-brass handle of the door open, ushering his three friends in first before following in afterwards.

One by one, they toed off their shoes at the mat, and took a seat on some old, faded couches in the entrance hall. Across from them was an old desk, covered in papers, folders and books, and a little sign on the front saying, "If you feel the need, please take a number." However, there wasn't a number box to be seen. An old grandfather clock ticked away quietly in the background. The house felt ancient, but proud.

The three waited for about fifteen minutes before a door suddenly opened, rustling and stomping echoing in the halls. Some murmuring was audible. Then,

"FINE! WHATEVER! CALL ME WHATEVER YOU WANT, I'M NOT TURNING INTO A BUTTERFLY SO YOU CAN GET SOME ANSWERS, YOU INSOLENT PRICK!"

"Do not use those foul words in this home—"

"I'll talk to you however the hell I want to!" A shattering of glass. Axel stood up a little, startled, but Demyx leaned over and pushed the redhead back into his seat quickly. "He knows what he's doing," The mulleted blonde stated with a small smile.

"Ohhh, you've pulled the last straw, you disgusting slave to the lord. I'm gonna hurt you so bad, you won't be able to—"

"_Quietus_, Saix." The threats stopped immediately.

There was a long, pregnant pause.

". . ."

"...Did I do it again?" The voice was quiet. Apologetic, even.

"I forgive you."  
"Oh....Oh no! I broke that? Oh god, I can replace that...." He offered, guilt lacing his voice.

"It's fine. We've been over this. Now... Go home and think it over, alright? You don't have to accept the offer I've given you; just think it over. Remember, you're better than this; you're one of the lucky few who have a choice in this war."  
"I know. Thank you, sir."  
"Have a good evening."

The four teens stiffened immediately as the client walked down the hall to get his shoes on. His powder-blue hair flipped about him softly as he turned to face the four, his xanthous eyes wide and nervous-looking.

"H-hi," he stammered quickly, clumsily pulling on his shoes. The four teens hesitantly smiled and waved at him, pretending they didn't witness what had just occurred. The blue-haired man slipped on his black trenchcoat quickly and was out the door faster than one could say something catchy and clever that related to the subject at hand. As the door thumped shut, the four let out a small sigh.

"That was a little awkward..." Roxas spoke up quietly after a moment, breaking the silence. The other three smiled down at him, risking a small laugh. After a few minutes, footsteps could be heard down the hall. The four perked up and went silent from their murmuring conversations to see if it was the man they had been waiting to see for two months.

"I apologize for having to reschedule this meeting twice. As you can see, emergencies occur very often in my predicament." What Roxas and Axel saw made them stare in awe.

The person they were to meet was probably no older than Axel or Demyx. He had mature, cadet-blue eyes that were narrowed in calm. He had silvery-blue hair that fell over one side of his face in strange layers. He was dressed in a simple white dressshirt, orchid cardigan, and black jeans.

This supposed 'holy man' actually looked... normal!  
"What?" He turned his head towards the gawking spectators, his long locks of hair brushing his cheek in a sweeping motion as he did so, "What is it?"  
"You.... you're not old!" Axel exclaimed in awe.

"Or wrinkly!" Roxas quipped. The man stared at the two for a moment before bursting out laughing, doubling over a little.

"Wh-where of all places... where did that assumption come from?!" He inquired between snorts, slowly regaining his composure. Axel and Roxas looked at each other, looked at Demyx, and looked back at the teen in the room, jaws still dropped.

Zexion let out a small sigh after a moment of watching them watch him, pressing his hand against his forehead. His black-gloved fingertips pinched the bridge of his nose momentarily before he raised his head again. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Zexion. Please, follow me." He commanded, not waiting for the others to reply as he walked down the hall, carefully avoiding a shattered vase down it as he did so. The other four followed along, cautiously toeing their way around the mess of ceramic, soil and plant on the ground.

"Come. Sit." The slate-haired man offered as he ushered them into another room down the hall, the door engraved with a simple symbol depicting the sun. Though it was a request, it sounded more like a command than anything, and the four found themselves doing what the holy man told them to and they sat down at the cream-colored couch on the opposite end of the room. Zexion settled himself at another old-looking desk. Like the previous one, it too was covered in papers, folders and open books. There were even a number of cups, plates and spoons cluttered around in small, unsteady towers. Crumbs and crusts served as subtle memory of what used to be a tasty meal or well-deserved snack. It was actually rather untidy-looking, and it made Axel want to stand up and start cleaning his house. His hands twitched in his lap, resisting the urge to take a few of the eating necessities to the house's kitchen. Zexion shoved away a pile of books that were obscuring his view, calmly reaching over to catch a falling teacup that had been pushed off the edge of the desk by the merciless books. His black leather gloves cupped the porcelain gently as he briskly replaced it atop the stack of books that almost sent it to its doom. He then refocused his attention towards his clients, remaining silent and intently staring at them.

While Demyx and Sora were perfectly comfortable-looking, Axel and Roxas immediately became uneasy. Roxas immediately looked across to his Guardian, passing on the responsibility of confusion to his redheaded companion. Axel opened and shut his mouth a few times subtly, feeling as though he was required to speak. Yet when he finally figured out something to say, Zexion decided to take the opportunity to talk.

Axel let his face fall sour for a moment.

"How do you know I'm not trying to trick you?" He asked suddenly, the question seeming to be out of the blue. All four of his clients stared at him blankly, not expecting the question. As Demyx, Axel and Sora put their brains in gear to try and think of a reason as to why Zexion was trustworthy, it was Roxas who chose to speak up.

"We... We _don't_ know." He answered hesitantly, licking his lips before continuing as he captured the attention of his three companions. "But... I guess that's the great thing about meeting someone new... you don't know if that person is trustworthy or not, yet you push that away to take the chance to get to know the other person, and have a good time I guess." He shrugged lamely. The blonde paused, looking around the room as he was unable to make eye contact with the intimidating man at the desk.

Zexion was quiet for a moment before a small smile crept across his face. The answer obviously pleased him. "You have a good head on your shoulders, and a strong heart." He concluded for no one in particular. "Though you're a little impulsive and don't realize when someone's worried about you. In fact, if someone does worry about you and you're aware..." the slate-haired man eyed the blonde warily, a small quirk of a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, "....you don't actually care most of the time. You actually find that annoying. But at the same time, you feel offended if someone isn't concerned for you. You're very eager to please, you're outspoken, and you're jealous of Sora because his Guardian shows affection openly, whereas your Guardian doesn't seem to do the same for you." He finished with a small smile, clasping his hands on the desk.

Roxas gawked at this supposed holy man, his eyes wide in incredulous fixation. He opened and shut his mouth a few times, looking at his companions for support. Demyx looked like he wanted to laugh. Sora was showing him a sympathetic smile. And Axel.. Axel had an inquiring gaze set on the blonde, which somehow at the same time looked... hurt? This made the blonde's blood boil a little, and he turned to Zexion.

"Thanks a fucking lot for saying pretty much everything I didn't want to say to them." He muttered sarcastically, leaning back in the couch with a sour look on his face. Zexion paid him no heed and instead turned to Axel. "What's your name?"  
"Axel."

"I'm assuming people spell that wrong all the time, correct?" He asked casually, his eyes curious and analyzing.

"Oh, of course." Axel nodded quickly. "It's EL, not LE. Got it memorized?"

Zexion blinked a few times, looking confused. "Alright... What are you, Axel?"  
This time, it was Axel's turn to look bewildered. He looked down at his lap before looking up at Zexion. "...I'm a Guardian Angel." He concluded.

Zexion was silent for a moment, looking worried as his eyebrows furrowed. Finally, he looked up and spoke, "You're a very... protective person. Your life seems to revolve around your Dependent. _Only_ your Dependent. You worry about him almost twenty-four seven, which is normal in your situation... you love to see him smile. In fact, you cherish that smile like your life. You enjoy being around your Dependent. You get very mad when he does something risky, and whenever he or one of your friends makes a mistake, you feel as if its your fault. You often look at yourself as a father figure or a role model, because you're aware how your actions influence others. You would die to save him; the fact that you've already done so is proof of that on its own, but.... That's strange." He looked troubled.

"What is it?" Axel inquired, sounding a bit scared himself.

"It seems that I can't read past anything past your life as a Guardian..." He hesitantly shrugged afterwards. "I... suppose it doesn't matter. However, Roxas—that's your name right? Good, I thought so—I read everyone that first comes in. Demyx and Sora have already had it done and I see it as unnecessary to redo that feat for you, as that isn't the reason you're all here."

Axel and Roxas' gazes became fixated on the scholar. Said scholar looked over the two for a moment. "You two aren't mindless. You know why you're here."  
The redhead and blonde stayed quiet, looking rather awkward. Zexion looked surprised and incredulous.

"You two have no clue what you're doing here."  
The two nodded hesitantly. In turn, Zexion let out a sigh, as if he had to re-teach them all how to count to ten.

"Well then, let's start with the basics. In case you forgot, my name is Zexion, and I'm a—"  
"TOOTH FAIRY!" Demyx exclaimed suddenly. Zexion gave him a look.

"...I'm a consultant to supernatural creatures and beings."

* * *

Spells:

Quietus: ...That's too obvious. But it doesn't mean to shut up. It means to neutralize something.

Xanthous is just another word for 'yellow'. HOORAY 'S WORD OF THE DAY!

Remember, reviews are always always ALWAYS appreciated. -heart-

-o/\o


	7. Chapter 7

JESUS CHRIST, I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN HALF A YEAR.  
What's wrong with me? ;x;  
Well this chapter was just really fudgy in general. There was also convention work! :0 Look gaiz, I cosplayed: .com/art/Take-it-back-132919321 IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL!...Maybe. I unno.  
IN ANY CASE, MY HUMBLIST APOLOGIES. FEEL FREE TO SHOOT ME DOWN.  
Also, if you want me to update faster, just go ahead and nag me on my DA. Don't be shy! I need to get my ass in gear either way! :'D  
OH HOW I LOVE YOU ALL, MY DEAR WATCHERS/REVIEWERS. PLEASE ACCEPT MY APOLOGIES. Or shoot me with a pellet gun. OR MAKE ME ICE CREAM? :D  
...Food for thought: you know I feel horrible when I type in caps 80% of the author's note.  
...Also, I think I hooked myself on Axel/Ven. ;w;

KGOCHAPTERWOO  
Also, I got rid of the chapter titles. May add new ones but for now? They don't make sense.

* * *

Chapter seven

"So what does that mean?" Axel directed the question to the title Zexion gave himself, as it did not close a single tie of confusion hanging in the air, "Demyx attempted to explain, but from what he's told me, you're a pastor or a priest or something."  
"In a sense, I suppose I am," the scholar flicked the hair from his face, which really did not get rid of the problem as the slate colored strands just fell into his eyes again, "but my job is a tad more complicated than that. Demyx, would you grab some tea and cakes from the kitchen? Sora, you can help." The scholar sighed, rubbing his forehead testily. "This is going to be a long night."

And so, Zexion went about the task of explaining the basic jist of everything to Axel and Roxas. It turned out that they were not the only active Guardian and Dependent pairs; there were at least ten in Edmonton, and many, many more in towns, cities and rural communities around the world. Zexion also explained that he was helping demons and angels, as well as anything in between, though he was secretly biased to angels more than anything. He and his family had been helping any and all mythical creatures for generations, and their extensive knowledge on the subjects proved to be far more useful than any sort of book in their household, all of which were piled up to the rooftops and rewritten as the original copies grew old and delicate.

So, in a summary, Zexion was an expert on everything and his house was a library.

"Now, there are some things that you should be aware about each other that are very, very important. Follow me to the basement, please." Zexion dismissed himself from his desk and exited the room without waiting for the other's actions. With the way he spoke and walked, it seemed as though Zexion had done this same act so many times that it had become routine. As the four followed out of the office-like room, Axel hesitated in the doorway. He stood, hands twitching, before plucking up as many cups and plates and cutlery as he could before returning them to the kitchen and rushing down the stairs after the three soon after. As he caught up to the pack, he ruffled Roxas' hair, which was replied to with a joking elbow to the ribs. The redhead laughed quietly, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he met Roxas' cerulean eyes.

"Where were you?" Roxas hissed at his partner questioningly, minor suspicion tagging onto his voice. Axel rubbed his hand through his hair nonchalantly with a grin, looking ahead of him. His wings fluttered quietly against his back and he cocked his head to glare at them warningly, persuading them to cease movement.

"Cleaned house a little. If he took a dish out of that room every time he left it, it wouldn't be quite so cluttered." Axel whispered back, his eyes leading up to Zexion as he did so.

"Tell me that when you get your own house and see how far you get with it." The scholar supplied in a dull tone, obviously keen to the other two's whispering. Axel shut up and glanced down at Roxas, his smile back and slightly mischievous as he changed the subject, "Why? Were you scared without me?"

"Axel, do the world a favour and shut up." Roxas elbowed Axel in the ribs; not too hard to cause harm, but strong enough to make the teen stumble back as he walked. Axel chuckled as he caught pace, his grin changing from cocky to admiring as Roxas turned away. This was one of the many reasons why he cared for his Dependent so much; he was quiet and thoughtful, but spunky and so easy to rile up if you wanted to get a rise out of him. After walking down a long, grey-papered hallway filled with many doors (many being about only fourteen), Zexion stopped at a large, heavy steel door with a combination lock on the front. A shadow fell over his hand as he did the combination, pausing warily as if to remember something, before completing the final number and tugging down a lengthy handlebar on the side. The scholar then shoved open the heavy metal door, pausing when he caught an incredulous look on Roxas' face. "What is it?" He posed, his face calm as if he knew what the blonde was to ask him.

"…There's no way any of this just appears from thin air. You don't seem to have a paying job if you're so busy. What're you doing, stealing equipment?" The question was used with an almost haughty sort of tone. Axel glared down at him suddenly, ashamed his Dependant would ask something in such a rude way. Roxas didn't seem to notice.

Zexion seemed unfazed by the blonde's inappropriate behavior, as if he had encountered it many times before. "I have many connections to the government, catholic church and other surprisingly wealthy cults because of the work I do, which is why my house has the budget for these sorts of seemingly expensive objects." He explained, his voice sounding recitive. It didn't help to ease Roxas' incredulous feeling, and Zexion chose to ignore this as he ushered the group into the room.

"Why did you ask such a rude question?" Axel hissed at the blonde, but the blue eyed Dependent did not reply, his eyes glued on the interior of the room in awe. Axel looked up to see what the show was about, and was left stunned.

The inside of the room was dark, but faint glows of colored objects sleeping in shallow plates on pedestals gave light to the octagonal interior. The floor was made of shiny black tiles, which grey triangles pointing to each dish, of which were arranged in the room in a semi-circular pattern around a curious-looking circular section of the floor differentiated by the different materials. While the floor was smooth tile, the circle on the ground looked as if it were made of some ancient, pitch black stone; a tablet of sorts. The rough surface was donned with strange, milky translucent domes, all of which had little rivulets connecting them together.

Demyx was the first to speak. "What is this, Zexion? You've never showed us this room before..."

"In all honesty, I wish I didn't have to yet, but it has come to a point where we can no longer wait." Zexion's reply was sober as he looked over the cavernous room to let the words sink in. When the air felt heavy with the severity of the situation, Zexion continued once more, "This is the room I use to figure out the composition of a magical being. Their... 'calling', if you will."

Axel was quiet for a moment, his piercing emerald eyes becoming more inquisitive in bewilderment before asking, "....How?"

For some reason, this simplified question was too much for Demyx to handle. He doubled over his knees, a crescendo of laughter echoing on the stony walls. Axel shunted his head down in embarrassment, and if an availability of light permitted it, one would be able to see a tint of blush on the redhead's cheeks. Roxas looked up at the redheaded man, finding this new expression confusing on his older façade. Those sorts of faces were worn by people of his age and predicament, not Axel's. Zexion covered his mouth and coughed away an amused chuckle before silencing Demyx with a painful but otherwise harmless kick to the shin. The Guardian once again keeled over, this time out of pain. Having been used to this sort of banter, Sora glanced down indifferently and rolled his eyes at the blonde on the ground before redirecting his attention at the slate haired scholar once more. "Why is waiting such a concern now?"  
"You may have already caught onto this. The fact that you are questioning my motives is proof of that enough," the scholar began, fiddling with the rims of his gloves on his wrists, "An End is near. Very, very near. And as much as I would rather you four take a three year training course, it seems we have a matter of about twelve to sixteen months before an uprising occurs. By that point, we not only want to have a good number of aware Guardians and Dependents around the world, but we also want to have as much of the opposition eliminated as possible."

"You keep saying 'we'." Roxas brought up, eyeing the scholar warily, "I'm aware you said you favoured us despite having to help any and all creatures, but... how do you find we should trust you? Your secret favouritism towards the good side simply proves that you could also be secretly favouring the bad side."

"Indeed, this is also true," Zexion concurred, "You have full right to not trust me and are wise to do so."

Roxas remained silent, waiting for Zexion's to explain why he could be trusted. When no words left the periwinkle-haired man's mouth, Roxas gave him a dumbed-down, stupefied sort of look that could only be associated with "...Oh."

"Well then, now that you're all finished asking questions, let's get to work." The scholar walked over to a small box of electronics mounted on the wall and slid open a panel on the front, revealing a grid of numbers and letters with a small, chalkboard colored screen. A black shadow swiped over his hand as he locked in a code, a beep of consent ringing out into the air as another panel on the wall shot open, revealing what looked like a shelf full of CDs, aside from the fact that they were made out of stone. "Demyx, come here." He commanded, slipping out one of the black disks from the shelf. Demyx did as he was told, the Guardian's steps uneasy and wary, as if he were about to get a tetanus shot. "Give me your hand," Zexion's eerily calm voice sent shivers down the mulleted teen's spine, but he nevertheless complied. Then, fast as lightning, Zexion slipped the disk under Demyx's palm and held it there, and for good reason too. A stunning wave of pain crept up his arm suddenly and shot through the rest of his body, almost as if every muscle in his body decided to tear at once. His ligaments constricted and he couldn't bear the pain, his teeth relieved from their ground state as he released a strangled cry of pain. As this painful display commenced, Demyx's body began to glow a dull white. Sora's feet shifted on the ground distressfully. Zexion always knew what was best for them... But that certainly didn't look like it was helping anyone!

And yet, there was no look of malice on Zexion's face, only determination and concentration as he kept the glowing disk and Demyx's hand connected. The stone in his hand flickered a little and finally stopped glowing, signalling for Zexion to release the Guardian. Demyx fell to the ground, trembling and breathing heavily. Immediately his friends rushed over, dropping to the mohawked-blonde's side to check on him. As they did so, Sora's cerulean eyes shot up to Zexion, narrowed in a glare. "What did you do to him?!"

"The scholar in turn stared down at the four. His eyes softened slightly in sympathy when they lingered on the teal eyed Guardian's form, torn up and panting from pain, but the smoky navy eyes only narrowed in slight. "I forced an encryption of his natural energy into the disk I was holding. I regret to use such harsh methods, but there are four of you and time is of the essence."

As the three of them gave him piercing, worried looks, the periwinkle haired teen brushed off their concern, stating, "It is painful, yes, but nothing more than that. He will be fine in a few moments. Now, Roxas, get up."

The blonde's large oceanic eyes grew larger. "M-me?!" A-aren't you going to do Axel or Sora first?"

"I do things in no particular order." Was the simple reply, "Now, stop acting like a child and get up. We don't have all day."  
Roxas let out a little whimper as he stood up, unaware that the distressed sound had even passed through his lips. As Zexion slid another disk out of the shelf and placed the used one on a nearby table, Roxas started to back away. He stumbled on himself, however, when his back met a warm, sturdy obstacle. He felt a pair of comforting hands on his shoulders, squeezing them encouragingly and running down to his forearms calmingly.

"Axel, I don't want to." The ninth grader shook his head uneasily and backed into the Guardian's chest more so. The redhead blinked down at Roxas. Aside from getting things bandaged or Japanese horror movies, there weren't many things that scared the normal character out of Roxas. The usual stubborn and often haughty blonde's natural dignity was now replaced with a whimpering, uncertain mass of trembling nerves. It almost reminded Axel of a puppy that had to sleep out by itself for a night... which meant that Roxas was probably just looking for attention. As the Guardian looked down at the blonde, an arsenal of scolds lined up for the tossing, their eyes met and Axel saw a glimmer of something he hadn't seen since a darker part of Roxas' past: genuine fear. His blue orbs reflected greens and reds and purples from the strange glowing dishes, their lights caught on the water of tears in his eyes. Axel paused for a moment before his arms encircled the dependent's waist, pulling him into his embrace comfortingly.

"Roxas, I know it's gonna hurt, but you need to get it done. It's like a needle: you'll benefit from it in the end."

"How do you know?! You don't even know what it _does_!" Roxas objected, his voice cracking, "I don't trust him Axel! He could hurt us!"

"—L-let him d-do it, R-Roxas." The voice was strained and muffled, but nevertheless came out firm and stern. Axel and Roxas' heads turned to the source of the voice, and Demyx spoke again. "H-he knows... he knows what he-he's doing. J-just trust him." His head was hung, his shaking arms making an attempt to steady themselves as the pain ebbed away. Roxas looked back up at Zexion, who had his hand out with the disk in it. Axel nudged him forward with the back of his palm gently. Slowly, step by step, he made his way to Zexion, his hand outstretched. And, just as unexpectedly as he had done with Demyx, the scholar clasped the disk against Roxas' palm.

It was like nothing he had ever felt. What _looked_ bad when Demyx was getting his done was only _half_ of what the pain actually was. Whatever resolve he had to not make a sound during this endeavour was shattered as agonized sounds broke the tight-lipped barrier he had against his voice. The pain was so bad, in fact, that he did not even have the mindset to _think_ to retain these noises.  
As he watched, Axel found himself blushing at the pain-induced moans. He had a feeling he was supposed to be worrying, but... Something about the noises pleased him. The Guardian mentally smacked himself: those were the sounds of his _Dependent_ getting _hurt_. Where was the pleasure in that?! He bit his lip and forced concern to his mind, which wasn't that difficult.

By the time Roxas' energy inscription was created, Demyx was well and able to be aware without any pain as promised. He watched the blonde's knees give way and smiled at the sight of Axel catching the little ninth grader before he fell. He pulled his own Dependent in close, knowing the brunet was probably terrified himself. Surprisingly, Sora wore a strangely calm facade, aside for mild concern towards Roxas.

Little paths of tears that had previously fallen shimmered on the blonde's cheeks, his bangs hiding his eyes as he hung over himself and let out a choked sound of pain. Axel covered the shivering Dependent's frame with his arms, rubbing the boy's shoulders soothingly. "Shh, it's okay..." as he cooed softly into the blonde's ear, he remembered Zexion's reading of the ninth grader and the redhead pulled Roxas in closer. Did Roxas really feel jealous over him? He felt Roxas' hands clutch onto his shirt with a death-like grip. Not that the action really confirmed anything, he had a feeling Roxas' jealousy was tin and single-layered like paper. After all, everyone was a child once; they needed to cry for attention sometimes, even as they got older. It was human nature. He could feel the blonde's vice-like grip release slowly, his trembles lessening. Immediately, the Guardian found himself relaxing, his wings flapping down to his back in relief. He looked up to see that Sora was about to get his energy encryption, wearing an impressive-looking sort of calm. But just as Zexion reached over, Sora shrieked and stumbled back behind Demyx quickly.

"Don't let him hurt me!" he cried, clutching onto the back of Demyx's arm. The sandy-haired teem hid a smirk from his lips, looking up at Zexion with a smile that was almost apologetic.

"He's afraid of needles."

"But this isn't a needle."

Demyx blinked. Zexion had a point. "W-well it still hurts!" the mulleted Guardian whined in defence for his Dependent. Zexion sighed in exasperation and reached around the Guardian, disk still in hand. Sora's eyes widened.

"N-NO!" he snapped fearfully, tripping backwards a couple of feet and bringing is hands in front of him involuntarily. A sharp, butter-white light burst forth from his hand, materializing into his weapon. "Wh-wah?" he gawked at his weapon, confused. "I-I didn't mean to—" he stopped immediately when he heard a small 'clank'.

He looked down just in time to see Zexion grasp the disk against the key of the blade. His muscles tensed, bracing the pain, but found none after a few seconds. The brunette glanced down at Zexion to see if it was working or not and indeed it was, for the disk was glowing. And yet despite this, Sora was feeling nothing close to pain. Albeit, there was an odd, pulling sort of sensation that numbed his arm a little, but it was otherwise very calm compared to the other two. The two Guardians and Dependent watched in awe as the session finished up, the disk flickering thrice before ending. As Zexion let go, Sora's arm trembled and released the blade, which dematerialized before it could clatter to the ground. "What were you guys talking about? That wasn't painful at all!" Sora rolled his eyes. You guys're a bunch of babies."

Zexion, not appreciating Sora's arrogant behaviour, spoke up for the flabbergasted blondes. "It was because you had an object to channel your energy." When the four gave him blank stares, he slapped his forehead. "Ignorance..." he muttered under his breath, running his gloved fingertips through his silver-blue hair. "Any creature, regardless if it is demon or mortal or bush, can move or center its energy to a specific part of its body, if the need comes up. Your white blood cells' moving to the site of an injury, for instance, is a good example. This moving of energy does not bid the being any harm, nor does it deplete the creature's stamina. It is when the energy has left the body does pain develop. This is because biological matter, meaning skin and bone and flesh, were not created to release energy. So, although it _is_ able to release energy, it cannot do so without resulting consequences, whether that is a shock to the nerves like you two contracted," he motioned his head to Demyx and Roxas, "Or spontaneous combustion." Though it was not with intent of anything, his gaze lingered on Axel as he spoke. The redhead paled.

"I-I'm going to explode?!" he squeaked. The other three stared, horrified.

"Zexion gave them a look. "No, he is **not** going to explode. Now, Axel, get over here. This is taking far longer than it should be." As he reached over to grab Axel's hand, new disk in palm, the redhead suddenly produced a fork.

Zexion stared at the pronged object.

"...Why do you have a fork?"

Axel blinked sheepishly, realizing his plan was not thought out through. "W-well, if you need a weapon to channel it through—"

"Axel, the only reason that works is because the weapon belongs to you spiritually. If you were to use a fork, you would get electrocuted and die. Where did that even come from?"

"...You know, I'm not quite sure."

Zexion facepalmed. "Okay, whatever, we're getting on with this." He tugged the fork from Axel's grip, abruptly replacing it with the disk.

As Axel had expected, the pain was beyond comprehension. It was as if he were on fire, or—

_STAB._

W-whoa, what was that?! Axel shut his eyes tightly, the pain almost making it too hard to think.

_"Stop smiling." SHUNK._

But he wasn't smiling! That image wasn't something to smile about!

_"W-what?! NO! AXEL!" THUMP. _

_"We're sorry, sir."_

_"Wh-why didn't you... I-I... I think I'm gonna..." Kegh!  
"It's alright, the rest of us got sick too."_

That voice... It was...

_"I'll be there for you through it all, even if saving you sends me to hea-ven..."_

_"Stop smiling."_

_"STOP SMILING!" STAB, SHUNK!_

"N-NO! STOP IT!" Axel cried out, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Axel? Axel, what's wrong?" Roxas gave him a worried look, drawing his hands away from the Guardian's shoulders. Axel looked around. He was sitting down on the smoothly tiled floor, ripples of pain crawling through his joints quick and paced like a grass fire. But he was hardly aware of the pain. He was still focused on the strange images and sounds he had envisioned. Demyx, Roxas, Sora and Zexion were all knelt down around him. As the pain began to fade, he began to laugh. Those images weren't anything to worry about! They were just some crazy side effect from his nerves getting shot! "Excuse my language, but that was pretty damn wicked."

"Hurts, doesn't it? Roxas agreed with a grim smile.

"Yeah, and those visions weren't helping either." Axel chuckled again. The blondes went silent.

"...Images?" Demyx inquired warily.

Axel's laugh dropped a couple of octaves and became a tad shaky. "Y-yeah the same ones you guys got... I almost thought they were real, heheh..." his smile faltered.

Suddenly, Zexion dropped his head, his shoulders shuddering. As the four directed their attention back to the scholar, the man covered his face with his hands.

"I-it's nothing, really... I-I'm fine." He mumbled, his voice sounding strangely strained and wet. Before anyone could question the slate haired scholar, however, he got back onto his feet. He shrugged his cardigan off to the side unceremoniously. "Now, watch carefully, and _don't touch anything._" He instructed in an insistent tone, picking up Demyx's disk from the table and walking into the center of the strange board, being careful not to accidentally step on one of the opalescent quartz domes. In an indent in the floor was where Zexion put the disk, keeping a feather light touch on the black circle of rock and uttering something under his breath in tongues. A white spark of light erupted from the disk and splashed through the little rivulets in the board, some spurting out on their trails and others instead travelling to cause light to emit from stones on the floor and in the dishes.

"This stone was yours, Demyx." Zexion explained, analyzing the stones. As he did so, he rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand. Demyx blinked; he could have sworn he saw glistening paths on the slate-haired man's cheeks. But no, he couldn'tve been crying, for Zexion's face lit up with a small smile. "I expected this of you." Zexion stood in the circle and gestured the three forward. "The eight stones in these dishes represent elements. The one – or ones if the case insists—that is or are lit represent the element that your soul is most connected to. There are eight major elements in this case: Stone, Darkness, Light, Illusion, Air, Water, Plants, Lightning, or Fire. There are other minor elements, such as ice, temperature or matter, but these are the most common and it is very rare if one is ever connected closer to a minor element more than a major element. Demyx, you are a water element." He saw Demyx open his mouth to let out a cheer, and stopped him with a finger to his lips. "Furthermore, the three stones in the inner circle represent your soul's strength: beige for combative skills, blue for magic, and green for 'physical' spells such as paralyzing or levitating. Demyx, your skills linger primarily in magic. The two pyramids of domes on either side of the inner circle are your level of light and your level of darkness. Demyx... Your level of darkness is slightly higher than most Guardians. Though this looks scary, do not worry; it is acceptable."

The tablets were all read, with surprisingly mixed results. Sora was a light element who centered on combat. His light level was shockingly high in comparison to his darkness ratio, which surpassed that even of Demyx's light ratio. Roxas was balanced on the power of darkness and light, which worried Axel for a while, until Zexion explained that darkness did not mean evil. The blonde was also found to have equal strength in combat and physical spells, and had a higher darkness ratio. Axel was a fire element with a balance on combat and magic, though he leaned more towards magic than combat.

"Well, now that I know what exactly the four of you are working with," Zexion started, "It's time for me to teach you four the basics."

"But we've already been taught the basics, Zexion." Sora's blue eyes flicked up to meet Demyx's teal ones for confirmation, speaking of his and his Guardian's experience. Zexion shook his head.

"Those were the basics of becoming a Dependent and Guardian partnership. Now, you need the basics for your survival."

Zexion led them into a strange corridor in the house with large, open windows that peered outside into an oddly placed courtyard. They were still on the basement floor, so when they got outside, it became evident that they were surrounded by walls three stories high. The twilit sky twinkled its drowsy stars down upon the five, muffled night noises just beginning to awaken. Sora lowered his head and let out a yawn, eyelids bubbling tired tears. Demyx looked down and reciprocated the movement, which forced Axel to yawn as well, who in turn tempted his little blonde Dependent to cover his mouth and let one out. The author also yawned. I bet the reader did too.

Zexion rolled his eyes.

The courtyard itself was a perimeter of grass that surrounded a circle of sandstone brick red tiles. There was also a basin of water to the side, a mature sapling towering over it, and empty torches along the walls. As they got settled into the courtyard, Zexion stared at the nearest torch on the wall. He kissed his middle and index fingers and pointed them at the torch. "_Suscitatio Incendia._" The torch lit up in a flare of orange and yellow licks of flame. The scholar eyed the rest of the torches. "_Tribuo ut vestri frater._" He snapped his fingers. The rest of the torches followed suit, startling the other four teenagers.

Roxas laughed hesitantly. "It looks like something from a Harry Potter movie," he commented.

"Then _I'm_ Harry Potter." Sora puffed up his chest, slapping his hands onto his hips cockily. Demyx poked the brunette's stomach, deflating him.

"No, _I'm_ Harry Potter."

"Then who am I?"

"You're Ron Weasley, the comic relief and annoying best friend." Demyx beamed.

Roxas shook his head. "No, that's Axel."

"Says who, _Professor Snape_?"

Roxas gave Axel a shocked look. "Says you, Dumbledore."

Zexion continued to watch this back and forth banter, his expression growing more incredulous by each retort. The fate of the Earth as they knew it was partially resting on _their_ shoulders…?!

…_We're fucked_.

"Alright you fanboys, stop debating over who's Voldemort so we can move on."

"So it's settled then, Zexion's Voldemort." Axel finalized, the others nodding in agreement.

Zexion gawked. "Wh-what?! I don't want to be Voldemor— I-I mean, s-stop this childish nonsense now! We have more important matters to attend to!" Zexion exclaimed in a faltering tone. Not getting any objections back, he continued. "Now, Axel. Roxas. Before I explain the basics of survival, I must first explain the basics of your existence." Demyx and Sora backed off, allowing Zexion to administer his full attention to the mentioned two.

"First off, we'll start with your wings. As any other angel, you are able to guise and release these with a single utterance. However, at the skill level you are at currently, you are only able to do this under the aid of your Dependent." Zexion's stare lingered on Roxas.

Roxas and Axel's reactions were virtual opposites. "What?!" They exclaimed simultaneously, the blonde out of pleasant surprise and the redhead out of near-mortification.

"In many situations like these, unless there are extenuating circumstances, the Guardian is reborn with almost no previously built power. This is because when a Guardian angel begins to fade, if the Guardian is dedicated enough to their dependent, their determination to stay alive casts a spell that requires nearly all of a Guardian's power. In return, the Guardian is given a second life." Zexion looked the two over to see if they fully understood what was being said. He continued. "This spell has no spoken release, no fancy lightshow, no real recognition that a spell has been cast in the first place. It comes from within your heart. But this is aside from the point. Because of your lack of power, you must rely on the power of your Dependent until you receive enough wingspan to fly again."

"How much wingspan do I need to fly again?" Axel queried, obviously knowing what the scholar was talking about. Roxas said nothing; he was already beginning to catch on.

"At least eleven feather rows, but you would probably do well with a few extra. Thirteen, perhaps?"

Axel nodded. "That sounds about right."

Zexion nodded at Axel's realization indifferently and continued, "Well. In any case, back to the matter at hand. I will teach you how to hide and reveal your wings. Roxas, Axel, join hands."

The two looked at each other, at Demyx and Sora, at Zexion, and back at each other again. Awkwardly, they shuffled over and grabbed hands stiffly. Zexion looked as though he could have had an aneurism.

"No, no, _no_! All wrong! Put feeling into it!"

Axel and Roxas gave him confused looks. How do you put feeling into holding hands?!  
Sora smiled at their awkward naivety and spoke up, "Close your eyes." The pair, a little less distressed, did as they were told. Sora's smile became bigger with encouragement, "Now, Axel, feel his hand within yours. This is your Dependent, the one you'd die for. You care about him. He is yours to protect…" Axel's stiff grip relaxed around Roxas' hand and Sora's smile became schemeous as he continued, "…he is yours to love." Axel's hand curled a bit snugger over Roxas' hand, almost in agreement. Zexion gave Demyx a curious look, and Demyx responded with a bashful turn of the head. Sora persisted on obliviously, "And you, Roxas. This is Axel. The one who almost gave himself up to save you. He watched over you, he continues to watch over you, and in a strange sense, needs you to watch over him too." Roxas reciprocated the subtle caressing motions in Axel's hand. Once again, the mischievous grin that was previously on the blue-eyed brunette's lips came back as he added, "he's the first thing you see every morning, and the last thing you see every night. He's the one who makes you feel safe and warm every night. He completes you." Roxas' fingers entwined with Axel's at the last words, as if to emphasize the point. Wearing a satisfied smile for more than one reason, Sora clapped his hands, "And there you have it! Do you feel that connection you two are sharing?" As the pair's eyes slid open, they nodded with understanding, "This is the sort of connection, the feeling you need for the spell to work." The chocolate haired brunette smiled wider at the blush that stained their cheeks, but Zexion cut off any teasing remarks that could have left the ninth grader's lips.

"Alright, so you have the hand holding down." Snickers were emitted, but Zexion did not seem to notice, "Now, we must move onto the second part: the spell itself." Zexion cleared his throat. "Repeat after me:_ iunctum nostrum vires_."

"What does it mean?" Roxas queried, his curious look transitioning into a faltering shame, "A-and I'll never remember that."

Zexion sighed. "Don't worry about committing it to memory right now. We will work on that later. As for its definition, it means 'release our strength'. As you already may know, spells require a root and a subject to function. In this case, this spell has no root or subject. It is restricted solely to Guardians and Dependents, as are a few other spells you will learn. Now, together: _iunctum nostrum vires_."

The two repeated the words, off sync and with a hint of uncertainty. Zexion gave them a look. "You must mean it, or it will not work."

Again, they repeated, "ewwn-kin-tum no-strum veerays…?" The tone was more questioning than uncertain this time. Zexion frowned.

"So obviously you won't listen to reasoning…" He muttered, closing his eyes and muttering something under his breath. A wave of black fell over him, a set of insect-like legs unfolding from his back. He opened his eyes again, which were now narrowed slits of radioactive yellow. His grin was a piercing white, voice low and hissing. "_See how you listen to this!_"

Axel's wings flared up in alarm, automatically stepping in front of Roxas. He put up his guard. "So you were tricking us!" He looked around for Demyx and Sora's support, but he found no one.

_"Silly little angel, you're too trusting."_ The demon cooed, his tones sending shivers down the redhead's spine. Axel's jade green eyes narrowed at the monster ahead of him and he reached over his back, plucking out a pair of feathers and pointing them at Zexion. "_Exercitus de __Incendia._" The two feathers in his fingertips disintegrated through a laser of white light that went from the center out, lining up levitating feathers made of fire. All at once, the row of fiery feathers darted in for their target. The demon remained unmoving.

The fire passed through the shadow as if it were nothing but smoke.

"W-what?!" Axel gawked. That was not normal, for any sort of demon. He looked down at Roxas for support. "Any ideas?"

But Roxas was not thinking about that. In fact, he didn't seem to be there at all. Frozen with fear, his eyes impossibly wide, the blonde made no response except to look up at Axel. Axel brought his hand to Roxas' shoulder, when something Zexion had said previously came to mind:

_"You will have to rely on the strength of your Dependent until you are strong enough to fight alone." _

_"—as for its definition, it means 'release our strength.'"_

This wasn't about him being too weak to support himself. This was about them needing each other. He switched his hand from Roxas' shoulder to his marked hand. "Roxas, I can make it go away, but I need your help. Say it with me: iunctum nostrum vires."

As if the redhead's voice was tethered to reality, his fearful blue eyes blinked in awareness. He directed his attention to Axel this time. "Iunctum nostrum vires."

_"Iunctum nostrum vires!_"

A bright light seemed to flow into Axel's wings and they spread themselves out, filled with renewed power. Old places where feathers had been torn away were replaced with flashes of light, like reflections on water, to leave in their places brand new ones. A heavy sort of feeling invaded the palm of Roxas' hand and he outstretched it to make room for the feeling, which an object materialized in shimmery silver fireworks. A blade fell into his possession, very similar to the kind Sora had except for instead of an odd key shape at the end of the blade, there was an odd pronged X embedded into the rod of the blade, and the handle was a grey blue.

And with that, the strange shadow being fell away, revealing their same old Zexion.

"Do you understand now?" He asked sagely.

Axel nodded, having caught on halfway through the ordeal. "It's not about me being weak. It's about finding support in each other."

Roxas, who was still too shocked to have so many events happen in such a short period of time, thrust the blade out sideways to Zexion. "What the hell is this?!"

"Roxas! Language!"

"It's quite fine; it's in his right." Zexion dismissed the Guardian's scold, much to Roxas' enjoyment and gratitude. "As the two of you may have already guessed, I am a sorcerer. To be specific, I study the sorcery of illusions. What you had seen was just that; nothing mere to an illusion. Now, onto the matter you requested:" Roxas looked down at the blade in his hand as the Sorcerer spoke, his eyes lingering over the polished, well-weighted blade in his left hand. "The weapon that you now hold in your hand can be called whatever you wish it to, but its technical term is Keyblade."

"Keyblade? Jesus, that's original."

"Roxas! Do not say—" Axel was cut off by a vicious retort from the little blonde.

"If you're going to correct me on every fucking time I fucking swear, I'm going to fucking do the same to your god-damned ass and **believe me**, it's not funny or effective. Stop being stupid, fuckhead." Roxas gave Axel a hard look, just ASKING the redhead to try him. Axel was rendered speechless for a moment before replying,  
" Fine, you can say that you'll correct me all the time, but that's completely useless considering I never cuss in the first place." The air tensed, but Zexion would have none of it.

"Your weapon is called Keyblade for symbolic reasons, mostly because as a Dependent, you unlock an inner strength within your Guardian both physically and metaphorically. Where a guardian has the ability to cast spells, a Dependent has the ability to wield and fight back. In due time, both will be able to wield and cast, but for now your power level is—"

"OVER NINE THOUSAND?" Came Demyx's witty interjection. Sora gave the mulleted teen a dull look before swiftly kicking the Guardian in the shins.

"WHY MUST YOU ALWAYS ABUSE MEEEeee..." Demyx whined dramatically. Zexion ignored the spectacle.

"... You get what I'm saying. Now—"

"Wait." Roxas perked up suddenly, "A couple weeks back we got into a scuff with some demons, and I actually ended up casting a spell."

"Did it work?"

"From what they've told me. I... fell unconscious, so I wouldn't know." Roxas admitted reluctantly, eyes drifting down to the blade of his weapon. He at least hoped that with this... "Keyblade", he would be able to prevent himself from being so weak.

Zexion frowned pensively, being quiet for what seemed to be a timeless hour. Finally, he looked up and admitted, "I... don't know. I will look into it for you, but... Under normal circumstances, that is impossible. Now, enough chit chat," Zexion cracked his knuckles, "for we begin your training."

The night therein was long... and exhausting. For someone as lithe and twiggy as Zexion was, his attitude and mannerisms in training became no more similar to that of a drill sergeant. He went through everything from one-on-one combat with both intelligent and **épais** foes to ambushes of all kinds. Any possible disadvantage Zexion could conjure to his mind, he made possible for the four to deal with. Whether that was the incapacitation of a partner (either Dependent or Guardian) or the incapacitation of a sense or limb, the sorcerer put them through as much as he could fit in. By the time their training session was complete, it was almost five in the morning. The only true reason they had decided to call it a very early morning was on account of Sora, whom had dozed off to such a sound sleep that nothing could rouse him.

"Won't our parents be worried?" Roxas yawned the query into his hand as they trudged upstairs, Axel leading the blonde up with an arm around his shoulders and Demyx carrying Sora up like a sack of potatoes. The full realization of them being up and about at five in the morning had only just hit him, but he was far too exhausted to show any spark of adrenaline or panic.

"I had phoned your parents prior to your getting here, posing as a father of a fellow peer whom you were to be staying the night with." Zexion's assurance was airy, more than likely from his own level of exhaustion.

"S-so then we're sleeping here?" A hint of honey trickled into Demyx's tone as he inquired, mostly because it was Zexion's house and Zexion had food. And a cool attitude. And a nice haircut. And a cute body...

"Yes. Fortunately, I do have sleeping attire that will fit you four... _adequately_," The sorcerer lingered on the word momentarily, as if he wasn't completely sure, "however, I only have three extra sleeping quarters and I see it as a waste to use all of them."

Roxas deflated unnoticeably at this statement. He was hoping, for a moment, that he would be able to have some privacy for the first time in over a month. And not because his redheaded Guardian was getting on his nerves, though it was a bonus to the fail cake, but also because of a certain... _problem_. It was inevitable; he was a teenage boy with teenage tendencies of which included the wonderful world of hormones. Roxas knew this, and he was absolutely all for taking care of the problem every once and a while. But Axel had been in his space, and it was beginning to get a bit frustrating. Nevermind the fact that Axel was potentially his Mr. Tall Cocky & Handsome, it was making it harder and harder for Roxas to look at his Guardian simply as that; a Guardian. And the whole "holding hands" thing earlier certainly did not help; but as Roxas did a double take on this thought, he realized how silly he was acting and brushed it away. It was not wrong for someone to have romantic thoughts about anyone in general if they were deprived. A gentle touch to his arm snapped him back to reality, and, with a lassitude so strong that it left no energy to yawn, the blonde followed Axel up to the main floor to become acquainted with their quarters.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Lithe, strong arms clasped around the little blonde's waist, drawing near to the warmth that was his Guardian's torso. _He's warmer than most people,_ Roxas mused, nuzzling in behind to close the space between them. As much as he always said that the redhead got on his nerves, Roxas appreciated the presence that Axel bestowed upon him. Wherever Axel had learned to be so gentle, so understanding? Stern like a best friend would be, but affectionate and playful... What an odd, fluttery feeling. How he desired... How he felt to call Axel something more than just a bodyguard. A... best friend, perhaps...? "Hey, Axel?" The Dependent mumbled in meek mannerisms, tone shut out and muffled from the overtake of drowsiness.

"Mm?" the sound crept past Axel's lips, mind called back from the warm waters of slumber. His eyelids drooped, struggling to keep the door of consciousness open.

"I..." Roxas stumbled. He didn't grasp what he was saying, but it wasn't like it needed to make sense; not many things did when it was five in the morning. "Have you ever had a best friend?"

Axel nodded immediately. "Of course." Who HADN'T had a best friend?

"What were they like?"

That was where Axel was stumped. What _were_ they like . . . ? "Uh... best... friendy...?"

"What did you two do together?"

"S-stuff..."

"Like what?"

"**I don't know!**" Axel snapped suddenly, the heat of defensive fury reducing Roxas' resolve to ashes. Roxas, taken aback, tensed up in Axel's grip. Axel had never gotten mad at him before...!

"You... don't know? Don't know what?"

"I-I don't know anything. There, happy!?"

"Don't be all defensive on me!" Roxas' tone darted from his mouth like a snake, injecting venom into Axel's retort.

"Look who's talking, you little brat!"

Repelled by the argument, the two of them rolled to opposite sides of the double sized bed, emitting concurringly distasteful 'hmph's at each other. Sleep fell easily for the two, and it did not take much to claim them fully.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_"Axel."_

A flicker of light, the first clearings in the translucent glass, and then, awareness.

The boy with the voice of summer evenings stood there, smile small and delicate and wonderful. But the desire to see the boy's eyes was still strong, and Axel's desires were not fulfilled yet, as they were still hidden.

It's you.

_"Who is this 'you' that you speak of, Firelight?_" His tone was soft, playful even... but within his words lingered the attendance of grief and doubt, and this troubled Axel. The blonde's honeyed bangs still shrouded his eyes, and continued to stay hidden despite whatever angle Axel surveyed from. It was frustrating.

What do you mean?

_"You know what I mean..."_ The boy's neutral attitude closed off to Axel, his arms clasping around themselves for security. His head became downcast, eyes lingering at the washed out grass twining about in a nonexistent breeze. _"You don't even know my name." _

Axel swallowed hard. Such a drawing feeling... stepping forward into the blonde's space, Axel's hand made feather light touch with the boy's cheek. Axel's whisper was almost definitive, finalizing the proof that shattered the melancholy that shaded the boy's eyes and attitude.

Ven.

Bright, bright azure. Captivating and full of emotion. Oh god those eyes were so entrancing and big and _blue._

"Axel." That beautiful voice reciprocated, tone endearing and relieved. "Do you...Know?"

"Know what?" Axel's emerald eyes studied Ven's. So blue, so intense... so familiar.

"Me." There it was again, that lingering doubt. Ven's presence drew closer, his touch so cordial it was almost invisible. When Axel gave no response, Ven's smile became tainted with sadness. Small hands grasped around Axel's chest, closing the little space that still kept them apart. "You don't remember any of this... do you."

Axel nodded. Without hesitation, his arms mirrored the little blonde's, clasping around him with such tenderness that felt so close, so pined for, so _right_. Warmth. Very warm. "This feels like a memory..."

Ven sighed, a sad sort of sigh one would release on the realization of something they expected. His hands tightening in the cloth of Axel's cream hoodie, he buried his face against it. Then, with a smile that would have broken Axel's heart had he seen it, the blonde began to hum.

What a beautiful sound... Slow, gentle, reassuring.... and a bit heart twisting. A soft sway to follow, Ven brought Axel in closer. Close, warm... This felt so familiar, this slow dance of reminiscence.

Axel did not actually take into account how long they had stayed like that, but it almost felt timeless. It only truly ended when Ven ceased his quiet song, and, taking a pace back, he took Axel's hands within his own smaller ones. Blue entranced green for what seemed like forever, and then, taking in a silent breath, Axel was finally introduced to the mystery that was once Ven's singing voice.

"_I'll be there for you through it all, even if saving you sends me to heaven..._This belongs to us. Please don't forget it again." His tone was almost pleading, and it was more than enough to make Axel nod sincerely. "Until we meet again," Ven dipped into a bow, pressing a kiss to the back of Axel's hand, "Wake up."

"Wake up...?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

There was no lazy cruise into consciousness for Axel, simply the opening of eyes and awakening. He took in his surroundings at his own meandering pace, his chartreuse eyes scanning the room. Bed, ancient-looking lamp-thing, mauve tiled ceiling, dark blue bedspread, hands clutching on pyjamas...? Intrigued by this new discovery, ginger green eyes fell to his chest. There, sleeping sound and relaxed, was his little blonde dependent. Cuddling in closer for warmth, the little blonde shivered slightly. Axel hesitated. Was Roxas not mad at him previous? Was _he _not mad at _Roxas _previous? But, as Roxas shifted to move his head up to Axel's chest, the redhead relaxed. The fight was petty as it was, and Axel certainly wasn't miffed about it any longer. His long, lithe arms tied around the blonde's waist, drawing Roxas in near to him. A pleased hum escaped the blonde's pink lips, his shivering now ceased. Axel's head rested against the pillow and he let out a sigh of content. He became surprised to find a pair of small arms wrap around his waist in reciprocation, and his eyes fluttered shut at the warm sensation. This felt so close, so pined for, so_ right_. And, as Axel drifted off to sleep again, he couldn't help but think that this was the way that things should be.

The moment would have been perfect had it not been for the tooth fairy plushie on the shelf above falling down and stabbing Axel in the eye with her wand.

* * *

Translations:

Suscitatio Incendia: In regards to an object that repeats tasks elementally. Suscitatio means "awaken", and incendia means "fire. This works for anything that would appear to cease and start up. A fountain (water), the exposure in an area(light and darkness), a lightbulb (electricity) and any other object that would have this effect. A subconscious switch in someone's mind would count as well, if one's power is illusion. This sort of spell would also work for "element pillars", objects that will be explained later on. Suscitatio is the root.

Tribuo Vires Vestri Frater: Give strength to your brothers. The spell transfers power from one entity to another. Tribuo Vires is the root. Can be used for anything from torch lights to people themselves. Even more specific can be the lending of attributes one human possesses to another for a short period of time, but this technique requires a lot of power and is not recommended for use for anyone who is still relying on their Dependent.

TO ALL OF THOSE CRAVING AKUROKU: I hope that this chapter quelled your hungers a tad. ;w; It will continue to be better, I promise! :'D

Reviews are ALWAYS appreciated, and fanart especially appreciated! ;w; I'd really LOVE fanart for this story.

...It'd get you on my happy list.

Which would mean something good. Swear to god.

...

IT'D MOTIVATE ME MOAR. :'D

Kgo!~


	8. Chapter 8

My dearest readers, I'm sorry for getting your hopes up. D; But I am making an announcement again 'cause I'm a tool.  
I'm putting this story on hiatus for a possible permanent stance. The reason being is that finally, after three years of strenuous work and pushing and guiding and improving and absorbing knowledge, I've picked up the pen and have sat down to write an original story, all of my own. This is huge for me at least, because this will be the first time I've ever actually produced something from my mind that wasn't fanart… So I'm going with it for as long as I can. Maybe you'll end up seeing something of mine published in a few years, if I keep working at it.

This being said though, I'm a bit torn. Because there's a gratuitous possibility that I will never finish this story. And just like any other reader, I understand the pain of a cliffhanger, especially when a story is discontinued. So… You, my readers and reviewers, have a choice: either hold on to the possibility that the story will never be finished, but at the same time, still realize that the story might eventually be finished how it should have; or you could ask me to summarize the plot so you could know where it would have gone, twists and everything. Even little scenes I was itching to write but never got around to doing so.

In all conclusion, I'm glad to have had so many people enjoy my writing. It was very encouraging and I learned quite a lot from it. I appreciate it very, very much. And lastly, I'm sorry I disappoint. Then again, it's fanfiction; not that huuuge of a deal right?

Talk to y'all god knows when later,  
-Shayla


End file.
